The Kamehameha Warriors are going dancing.

La‘i Hirahara had 16 kills, eight digs and three blocks as the Warriors roared back for a 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22 win over ‘Iolani on Saturday at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium to claim the second boys volleyball state-tournament berth out of the ILH.

Kamehameha trailed 20-12 in the opening set.

“I sat them down during the time out. We just needed to focus on closing the gap for this set, gain momentum and gain confidence back,” Warriors coach Sava Agpoon said. “There was a certain point when ‘Iolani called a time out and had five, six rallies. Now our team sees how hard we have to play for just one point. That’s what lit a fire under our butts. ‘Iolani’s defense is impeccable.”

Heston Cabinian added 13 kills, seven digs and a team-high two aces for the Warriors. Noah Bartley also had 13 kills along with one ace.

The journey has been rewarding for Agpoon, in his first season as varsity head coach.

“With this group, I coached a lot of these boys, watched a lot of them grow up the last several years. My intermediate coach, Wayne Gillia, helped out and he’s coached them since they were in seventh grade,” Agpoon said.

Kamehameha (9-4 ILH) will face unbeaten Punahou on Monday as the double-elimination tournament continues. The Warriors would need to beat Punahou twice to win the tourney (round two), then beat the regular-season winners again to claim the league crown.

Austin Sanchez had 30 assists (and one ace) and AJ Miller tallied 22. Dylan Freidl had a team-high four blocks, while Harryzen Soares hustled for eight digs.

The Warriors, with 13 seniors, are moving forward since the news about opposite Kainoa Wade. The 6-foot-7 freshman did not play and is done for the season due to a lingering injury.

“Safety first, especially for someone so young,” Agpoon said. “He’s been asking for a coach’s shirt. He lets me know, ‘Coach, watch for this, watch for that.’ “

Senior middle Kili Racoma had eight kills and seven blocks for ‘Iolani (9-6). Libero Wyatt Nako and outside hitter/defensive specialist Ty Heeley also played well, Raiders coach Jordan Inafuku said.

Nako and Heely were part of the 2019 Raiders squad that was the top seed and lost to Punahou in the final.

“I think the people who have been watching have seen how tremendously we’ve grown from preseason to this match,” Inafuku said. “We played a high quality, competitive match. Kamehameha is so talented, deep and well-organized.”

Shawn Nakao, a sophomore outside hitter, played well, Inafuku added.

“Our setter, Colby Fournier, stepped up this week. Some people were unavailable for today’s match,” he said. “Normally, we run 6-2 and he set all the way through.”

The Raiders will return a substantially talented group next season, but it’s the end of the road for the close-knit seniors.

“They’re gutted. They’re sad, but we’re very proud of them. They played some very good matches this week. We were able to play our best volleyball at the end of the season,” Inafuku added. “They’re very mature kids with a lot of perspective on things. They understand how much growth they had.”