The Kamehameha Maui girls volleyball team celebrates after defeating King Kekaulike in the championship game of the Maui Interscholastic League Division I tournament Tuesday at Maui High School. The Maui News/Eli Pace

They are the Warriors, and now they are the champions too.

The Kamehameha Maui girls volleyball team captured the Maui Interscholastic League Division I championship tournament title Tuesday by defeating King Kekaulike 25-20, 21-25, 27-25, 19-25, 18-16 at Maui High School.

In the back-and-forth final, King Kekaulike had the Warriors on their heels in the fifth set with Na Alii just one point away from forcing a playoff game. But no playoff would be needed. Down to their last point to give, KS-Maui responded to retake the lead, force their own game point and win the MIL title, setting off a jubilant celebration among the Warriors’ faithful.

“It’s such a reward for all the hard work we had this season,” said senior setter Hiʻilei Alo, one of the team captains. “It was a whole team effort. We couldn’t have done it without everyone on this team — bench included. And just the energy everywhere was so good. It’s just so rewarding because we worked so hard this season, and we were playing for something bigger than ourselves.”

With 48 assists, Alo spread out the Warriors’ attack Tuesday night, and three of her teammates recorded double-digits in the kills column, including Uʻilani Ahana with 22, Archer Fabrao with 16 and Pualililehua Kahaloa with 10.

Alo also had five kills and three aces in the championship game, and Fabrao posted a team-high 16 digs to go with her three aces, three assists and three blocks.

Coming into the MIL Division I tournament, KS-Maui had already secured a berth in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s state tournament by finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record in league play.

As the record shows, the Warriors dominated on Maui this season as they won 10 of their regular season games in straight sets.

In fact, the Warriors’ only loss of the regular season came Sept. 18 to King Kekaulike in another five-set slugfest. Immediately after Tuesday’s championship bout, the Warriors had nothing but respect for their on-the-court foes.

“Coming into the fifth set, I was just thinking, ‘I trust my teammates,'” said Fabrao, the Warriors’ senior outside hitter and one of the team captains.

“It was intense,” Alo added. “Na Alii is a very great team. They hustle for balls. They don’t let anything drop. They are a tough team to play, and I am so happy to have played them in this championship.”

For the seniors on the Warriors’ roster, finishing with the league championship in hand was especially rewarding.

“This year it feels awesome,” Fabrao said. “The past few years, we’ve gotten second, and this is the first year we’ve gotten first. But props to King K. They were such great competition, and I think they’re a great team.”

It was also the first MIL coaching title for third-year coach Sienna Davis, and that wasn’t lost on her team either.

“I know that while she played she was able to hold the title, but now that we’re able to do it for her (as our coach), it feels amazing,” Fabrao said. “I can see it in her face; I think she’s really happy.”

Sienna Davis and the Kamehameha Maui girls volleyball team’s bench react after the Warriors won the third set against King Kekaulike in the Maui League Interscholastic League Division I tournament championship on Tuesday.

Seniors on this year’s squad include Fabrao, Alo, Kalena Mariani and Pilinoe Peterson, and Davis, who admitted this season has been quite a bit of fun for her, was happy to see them win the MIL title.

“It’s huge for (our seniors),” Davis said. “A few of them have been on varsity for three or four years. It’s always a little extra special when it’s your senior year and you achieve the goals you’ve been hoping to achieve. They’ve played a huge role on the team this year and in the success of the program. Just leading both on and off the court and being positive role models for the younger girls to follow, it’s been huge.”

Kamehameha Maui senior Archer Fabrao records a kill against King Kekaulike in the second set of the MIL championship match. The Maui News/Eli Pace

The MIL tournament began Saturday with a play-in game between No. 4-seeded Maui High and No. 5 Lahainaluna. At 9-3, King Kekaulike earned the No. 2 seed, and Baldwin finished the regular season with the third-best record at 6-6.

On Monday, KS-Maui defeated the winner of the play-in game, Maui High, in three sets and King Kekaulike defeated Baldwin in the other semifinal matchup to set up No. 1 vs. No. 2 on Tuesday.

King Kekaulike finished the season as the MIL runner-up and earned the second slot for the state tournament, which was a major goal for Na Alii this year.

Additionally, KS-Maui’s girls JV volleyball team finished its season at 19-0, which bodes well for the future of the girls volleyball program.

“These up-and-coming underclassmen, per se, are very talented to say the least,” said Davis, who gave a lot of credit for the success on varsity and JV to her coaching staff. “I think it just goes toward the culture of the program that we’re trying to build, and I think we’re starting to see the light of it.”

Kamehameha Maui 3, King Kekaulike 2

At Maui High School

Set 1: 25-20 KS-Maui

Set 2: 21-25 Kekaulike

Set 3: 27-25 KS-Maui

Set 4: 19-25 Kekaulike

Set 5: 18-16 KS-Maui

Kamehameha Maui

Kills — Uʻilani Ahana 22, Archer Fabrao 16, Pualililehua Kahaloa 10, Kalena Mariani 4, Hiʻilei Alo 5.

Assists — Alo 48, Fabrao 3, Kaydence Makaena-Medeiros 2.

Aces — Alo 3, Fabrao 3, Makaena-Medeiros 2, Ahana 1, Kahaloa 1.

Digs — Fabrao 16, Ahana 4, Makaena-Medeiros 7, Kahaloa 1, Kamalii-Ligsay 1.

Blocks — Fabrao 3, Mariani 3, Ahana 1, Kahaloa 1, Lilinoe Peterson 1.

Kamehameha Maui senior Hiʻilei Alo sets the ball to one of her teammates in the championship match. The Maui News/Eli Pace