Alexis Rodriguez pounded 13 kills and four aces, and Erica Roberts drilled 14 kills as No. 7 Mililani stunned No. 4 Moanalua 25-17, 25-17, 25-22 to win the OIA Division I girls volleyball championship on Wednesday night at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium.

Mililani (16-2 overall) earned a first-round bye as OIA champion at the upcoming New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships. This is the fifth OIA crown for Mililani under coach Val Crabbe. The Lady Trojans last won the title in 2019.

Rodriguez remembers the heartbreak of last year’s playoff run.

“Our mental toughness. No matter who we’re up against, we’re willing to fight. Losing, we didn’t want to feel that again. That was a terrible feeling. This year, we’re working every practice to beat our opponent,” said Rodriguez, a 5-foot-10 senior.

Setter Anae Asuncion had 31 assists, one kill and one ace, and Lylah Worsley added four kills and two aces.

“It’s nice. I’m glad it came together here. Going into this, I just thought we needed to be engaged through the whole match, and from there, we needed to execute all our skills, and be exceptional,” Crabbe said.

Malu Garcia led Moanalua (28-8), the top seed from the East, with 12 kills. She also had 10 hitting errors against an air-tight Mililani defense. Zaria Queen added seven kills and Anya Gant chipped in five kills. Haylee DePonte had 15 assists and two kills, and Jayde Taamu-Perifanos tallied 12 assists and two aces. Natalie Fukumoto had a team-high three aces.

“Mililani did a great job serving us half the court. They were really tough and we couldn’t get going,” Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting said. “That’s something we can work on going into states.”

Moanalua has won three OIA crowns under Cabanting. The most recent title was in 2017.

Mililani looked like a top-four level team despite being ranked in the lower half of the Top 10.

“This year, we focused on our defense and the little things like ball control,” said Roberts, a 5-11 senior. “I feel great. I knew we could sweep them. That was our goal.”

Despite Cabanting’s efforts to invigorate his team, Moanalua did not get any momentum in the opening set against Mililani’s block and hustling defense. The Lady Trojans found their rhythm early and maintained a modest lead from start to finish as Rodriguez (four kills, two aces) and Roberts (five kills) kept Na Menehune on their heels.

It was a rough road for Garcia, who had two kills, one block and three hitting errors in the opening set. Zaria Queen led Moanalua with four kills, but Moanalua hit .200 as a team.

Mililani carried its momentum into set two, opening a 15-8 lead on five more kills by Roberts and three more from Rodriguez.

By the time the Trojans had a 21-11 lead, Moanalua had committed seven hitting errors in the second set. Garcia finished the set with four kills and four hitting errors as Mililani opened a 2-0 lead in the match.

The presence of 6-foot freshman Ivy Taylor began to make a difference in the middle.

After two sets of struggle, Na Menehune opened game three with a 13-11 lead. Garcia attacked from all angles and had five kills, one ace and just one hitting error as Moanalua battled to survive.

Even as Moanalua played its best volleyball, Mililani crept back in. Moanalua miscues plus an ace by Rodriguez tied the game at 20, and a right-side kill by Lylah Worsley vaulted the Trojans ahead.