The legacy lives on for the Kamehameha Warriors.

Facing a 2-0 deficit against No. 3-ranked ‘Iolani, No. 2 Kamehameha rallied for a stunning 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-14, 17-15 win at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium to claim a state-tournament berth.

Devin Kahahawai, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, crushed 24 kills to lead the Warriors (10-2), who had split matches with the Raiders during the regular season. In those battles, the home team swept, but on Tuesday, it was the visiting Raiders who stormed to the big lead behind senior Elena Oglivie.

The reigning All-State Player of the Year finished with 41 kills in 99 swings. Kamehameha was on the verge of missing the state tournament for the first time since 2001. The Warriors have played in the state final every year since ’02.

“It came down to our leadership. We talked a little about we need to get to that part, end game, end game is our game,” Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. “After Set 2, the leadership of that group definitely came together. The captains came together. That’s part of where these guys coming full circle, to understand all the things we do tactically comes down to what they want with their heart.”

The reality of one of the top three teams being eliminated well before the state tourney created a tense atmosphere at Kekuhaupio. The Raiders played some of their best volleyball of the season.

“ ‘Iolani played exceptionally, and for us to come back after being down 0-2, especially at the end of that (fifth) game. Devin had that swing, the ball went out, we fought back to get that win. (Libero) Tara (De Sa) played lights out. (Keonilei Akana) was awesome,” Blake said.

With the Raiders sputtering going into the final set, Oglivie sparked them back into position. She had eight kills in the fifth set, including one from the left side to give ‘Iolani a 15-14 lead.

However, sophomore Maui Robins delivered a kill for the Warriors, and Akana came through with a kill from the right side for a 16-15 Kamehameha lead. Oglivie had two chances to tie it, but Kamehameha’s back row came up big again. Her third try during the rally was a reach when the set rode too close to the net, and she had to tip it over with her left hand.

Akana then put the match away with a crushing kill again from the right, and the large audience at Kekuhaupio erupted.

Akana finished with 19 kills and Robins tallied 14. Senior setter Bryanne Soares had 10 kills, four blocks and 63 assists, and middle Longi Sua-Godinet had 10 timely kills.

‘Iolani freshman Senna Roberts-Navarro added 13 kills and sophomore Mokihana Tufono dished out 55 assists.

‘Iolani had control of the first two sets, allowing Kamehameha to lead only once, at 4-3 in the second game. The Warriors seemed to be tight, and when Akana rotated to the back row, they lost offensive momentum. Oglivie had 10 kills in the first set and eight more in the second.

The third and fourth sets were virtually the opposite scenario, as ‘Iolani led only once, 5-4, in the third. Soares came up with three key blocks to fuel Kamehameha’s defense, and Kahahawai got untracked with five kills.

By the time Kamehameha took the fourth set, ‘Iolani’s passing was nothing like the first two sets. The Raiders were on fumes, it seemed, but they charged to a 5-2 lead. Blake called timeout, and the home team scored the next four points to set up one of the most pressure-packed final sets in ILH elimination-mode history.

‘Iolani closed the season 9-4.