The McKinley Tigers were on the ropes, staggering and in danger of an upset loss to Kahuku.

But like a true champion, McKinley regrouped and rallied for an astounding 19-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-10 win over the Red Raiders to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference title. It was the Tigers’ third win over Kahuku this season, but their most difficult by far.

"This definitely was a team win. We had to battle. We’ve never been in this situation before," Tigers coach Chad Giesseman said. "This is the first OIA championship (in volleyball) since 1976. We don’t have a banner up there."

Jerry Wu dominated the middle with 15 kills and Ryan Franzen added 12 kills and eight aces as the Tigers overcame a shaky start. Before a loud home crowd of about 800, they seemed out of sync until the second set.

"Our fans, we’ve never had that many come to our game," said setter Devin Lee, who finished with 47 assists. "It made us nervous. We had to clear our minds. We had to talk more and communicate with each other."

After that, Kahuku lost momentum and, it seemed, energy.

"After the second set, we rotated back to give Jerry a better matchup. When he had LaMone (Williams) on him, he had a hard time," Giesseman noted.

McKinley blew an 18-10 lead in the second set as Kahuku fought back with a 16-6 run to go up two games to none.

Franzen had two aces in the third set as McKinley stayed alive, then drilled seven kills in the fourth as the Tigers tied the match up. The fourth was no gimme; Kahuku rallied from an 18-9 deficit to pull within 22-21, but a hitting error gave the Tigers momentum and Wu closed it out with two more kills.

In the fifth set, the 5-foot-8 senior had two more aces, while Kahuku had three service errors that proved to be crucial. In all, McKinley totaled 12 aces and just nine service errors. Kahuku finished with seven aces and 12 service errors.

"I was really excited, but I was scared," Franzen said of the 2-0 deficit. "I believed in my team."

Indeed, the Tigers caught fire after Devin Smith finally got going. The junior had all seven of his kills in the last three sets. Landon Akau also tallied seven kills.

Joaquin Lessary led a gritty Red Raiders effort with 13 kills, 20 assists and five blocks in a resilient performance all over the floor. Williams had 12 kills, while Mahonilai Fakatou and Joseph Fonoimoana added five kills apiece.

Wu, at 6-4, was rarely challenged after Giesseman’s adjustment.

"It feels great. We never gave up. We just stuck in there and our hard work paid off. I’m really proud of my team," the lanky junior said.

McKinley hit .125 for the match, while Kahuku hit .152. The back-row work of the Tigers was another key component, led by junior libero Harriz Navarro.

The Red Raiders didn’t hang their heads. After a 3-8 regular season, they’ve reached the state tournament.

"I feel good. The last two times (against McKinley), we didn’t even take a set," Kahuku coach Kaniela Kalama said. "We’ve definitely improved. The guys are disappointed, but very excited they get to go to states."