Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball may want to create a league pass to showcase all of its thrillers.

On Tuesday night, Kamehameha needed three sets to get past Maryknoll 25-16, 21-25, 25-21 at Father Bray Athletic Center. That was followed by another nail-biter as host ‘Iolani beat Punahou 25-15, 33-31, using an all-new look to thwart the Buffanblu.

That’s four teams in ILH Division I with hardly any competitive gap between 1 and 4. For all intents and purposes, this is 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. It is absolutely reasonable that all four teams are among the top five in the state, regardless of current rankings. (The current Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball Top 10 has Kamehameha at No. 1, ‘Iolani at No. 2, Punahou at No. 3 and Maryknoll at No. 6.)

Since Sacred Hearts moved down to Division II, where the Lancers happen to be 4-0 and tied at the top with Le Jardin and Hawaii Baptist, that makes ILH D-I a place with no mercy.

Kamehameha clinched the first-round ILH title and an automatic state-tourney berth with a 5-1 mark, just ahead of ‘Iolani (4-2). The Raiders and Kamehameha — as well as Kahuku of the Oahu Interscholastic Association — travel to Las Vegas this week to play in the Durango Invitational tournament.

‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said the move to a 6-2 offense makes the Raiders less predictable and much more lethal. Now, instead of lining up as an outside hitter, Saige Ka‘aha‘aina-Torres (a Missouri commit as a setter) teams with Kristen McDaniel as a second setter, her natural position.

“Going through some injuries the last week and a half, we got a little bit stagnant where the ball is being set and the defenses in our league can adjust. The 6-2 opens things up for us and we’ll roll with it. We can go 6-2 or 5-1 because of the flexibility our kids have,” said Obrey, who last year guided the Raiders to their first state title since 2001. “Absolutely, in our state, our division is tops, and nationally, I don’t think there’s another division with this kind of depth. No breaks.”

Punahou saw its record drop to 1-4, and the Buffanblu share third place in the ILH with Maryknoll. In any other league, the Buffanblu would likely still be unbeaten. It was a stirring effort by the visiting Buffanblu, who have improved significantly since the season began. With both teams going deep into their benches during the wild, extended second set, Punahou’s reserves brought full weaponry in the back-and-forth match against the Raiders.

“I’m so proud of our kids. It took a whole set for us to adjust. They put Saige at setter and flipped their whole lineup to get more attackers,” Punahou coach Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson said. “We made our adjustments by the second game. It could’ve gone either way.”

That’s the nature of the ILH race, where one of the top teams feels a need to make tactical and strategic changes in midstream to be at its best. Obrey saw the need for diversity in the attack, especially with Ka‘aha‘aina-Torres’ natural position at setter being utilized more fully.

Kamehameha’s dynasty is well into its second decade, with longtime coach Chris Blake.

“Every year is a battle in our league. Every match for us is a tough one and we always seem to get everyone’s best match when we play them. We have to run the gauntlet against each team at least four times,” Blake said. “It’s definitely a new challenge and I don’t think anyone is feeling sorry for us.”

Punahou (1-4) will have one more match, against Maryknoll (1-4), before the second round begins. That will give Punahou, ‘Iolani and Maryknoll a chance to compete for a spot in the league’s title match and the second available state berth. The elite-level volleyball action, Fuamatu-Anderson said, is all good.

“This is good because the girls get to play under pressure. The reality is they have to be ready to play, and (Tuesday night), even though we lost, our girls are moving forward and getting better,” she said.

Obrey has seen his program rise to the top. He knows the struggle of ILH competition well.

“Really, anyone can win the ILH this year. It becomes a matter of if you can stay healthy and play well on that given night,” he said. “This is the best division in the country, by far.”