RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Iolani's Megan Burton blocked a kill attempt by Los Alamitos' Emily Stewart, left, as Katelyn Burke looked on.

Los Alamitos wins
Ann Kang

Pushed to the limit, the Griffins of Los Alamitos (Calif.) reached for higher ground.

That meant standing on Moss, as in Rachel Moss, their clutch outside hitter. Moss pounded five kills as Los Alamitos defeated Iolani 15-7 last night in the championship playoff of the Ann Kang Invitational at Iolani School.

Geena Urango, a sinewy 5-foot-9 junior, displayed a powerful serve all tournament long. She had a roof and two kills to help Los Alamitos take a 6-3 lead in the playoff battle. Moss then turned up the intensity with several resounding kills over a fatigued Iolani squad.

"We knew that this was a second chance for us. They had to beat us twice, so it was more of an advantage for us," Moss said.

The serving power of Moss and Urango took a toll.

"Their jump-serve is really hard to side out on," Iolani outside hitter Lauren Minkel said. "They're really good all around, but we have really good defense and our blocking shut them down."

Moss, who will play at Duke next year, also had a roof in the playoff. With UC Irvine-bound Alex Filkins providing extra firepower, the Griffins were unbeaten in pool play (8-0) and were 3-0 in the double-elimination, championship bracket until late yesterday.

Iolani, rising through the losers bracket after an early defeat to Bakersfield (Calif.), upset Los Alamitos 25-21, 21-25, 26-24 to force the championship playoff.

"I think we were lucky to beat them the first time," Iolani coach Luis Ramirez said. "I'm really pleased with our girls' effort. This is beyond what I expected. The girls really surprised me."

Moss was one of the Griffins who couldn't help but acknowledge Iolani's hustle.

"It was frustrating how good they were on defense, how they got to every ball," she said.

Middle blocker Megan Burton had five kills in Game 1 to give Iolani a good start. Urango came alive in the second game with five kills and a roof to rally the Griffins. Perhaps the surprise of the match was Leinani Keanini, who managed five kills, all off Los Alamitos' taller blockers, as Iolani rallied for a win in the third game.

Going into the playoff, Iolani played five matches yesterday. The Griffins, a tall squad that tracked down balls as quickly as smaller teams, did what they had to do.

"We had to make some minor defensive adjustments and change some of our blocking schemes," Los Alamitos coach Jimmy Munoz said.

The matchup between the two teams was the first of the tournament.

"It took us some time to get used to them, the tip and roll shots. Hawaiian-style volleyball," he added. After the three-set loss, it was gut-check time.

"I told the girls, 'With a little adversity in your face, what are you gonna do?' "

For Burton and setter Kapua Kamana'o, the runner-up finish in a tough field left mixed emotions.

"It's a disappointment not to be on top, but we played our hearts out," said Burton, a 6-foot senior. "Our bench stepped up."

Kamana'o may have been the top setter in the tourney.

"We still need to work hard, especially on our passing. Kelly (Pang) really stepped it up," she said of the of Iolani's defensive specialist.

Pang returned two days ago from an ACL injury suffered in March.

The Raiders, who barely made it out of pool play with a 6-2 mark, proved resilient in the championship bracket. They swept Redondo Union (24-21, 25-23) before losing to Bakersfield (23-22, 24-22). Iolani then toppled Kahuku (22-21, 25-23) and Rim of the World (Calif.) (25-18, 20-25, 25-22).