They're not your sister's state champs.

No, the Kamehameha Warriors—sans All-State talent gone to graduation—found their new generation of state champions last night with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-18 sweep of Punahou in the final of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball Division I state tourney at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Kamehameha, the top seed, won its 16th state championship, including four in a row. They needed just 71 minutes to defeat their arch rivals.

“;It's a testament to the girls' work ethic,”; coach Chris Blake said. “;There were doubters about our skills and what we do, but it was our best match and we played great defense.”;

Caitlin Andrade, the air traffic controller, directed a nearly flawless offense and finished with 25 assists and eight digs. Whitney Viveiros, one of the seniors who waited her turn patiently over the course of three years, led Kamehameha (20-2) with nine kills and 10 digs. Taylor Akana tallied six kills and nine digs, and senior middle Alex Akana had seven kills to go with an ace and a block.

Her understudy, Talia Jardin, had four kills (.800).

To think the night began with the Warriors in their locker room bawling their eyes out.

“;We cried our jitters out. This is our last time with this exact group of girls,”; Alex Akana said. “;We said keep playing with heart, play for each other and never look back.”;

Viveiros, who waited patiently for three years before becoming a starter, saw the same pre-match cry-out before last year's final.

“;We're a very emotional team,”; she said. “;There's just no tomorrow.”;

Andrade, the glue, put it succinctly.

“;We played our best match of the season. When Koala (Matsuoka) had her first ace, I knew this was our game,”; Andrade said.

Punahou, seeking its seventh state crown and first since 2004, finished 19-4. Though the Buffanblu were unseeded, they were ranked No. 2 behind Kamehameha in the Star-Bulletin Girls Volleyball Top 10.

A boisterous crowd of 2,599 saw the Warriors cap a momentous season, only one year removed from the dynastic group of Fab 15/All-State selections led by current UH Rainbow Wahine player Kanani Danielson.

This year's team took all doubts about their legacy quite personally. The Warriors saw themselves as underdogs from the start—even though coaches and media voted Kamehameha No. 1 in the preseason Top 10.

Their biggest foes, like Punahou, came from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Kamehameha won five of six matches with the Buffanblu going back to preseason, and the last three meetings were sweeps.

Punahou was mistake-prone in the opening set, committing eight hitting errors and four service errors. That didn't help after Matsuoka had three aces at the onset to help the Warriors take a quick 5-0 lead on the Buffanblu. Punahou got within three, but never threatened.

Kamehameha, which hit .278 in the opening set, cooled off in the second. Punahou's struggles continued, however, hitting negative-.275. With Andrade hitting her targets in the middle (Alex Akana and Jardin) and on either side, Punahou was at Kamehameha's mercy for much of the match.

“;We were so nervous coming out and Kamehameha was so strong. That combination, we never recovered from it,”; Punahou coach Jim Iams said.

Charlotte Fonua led Punahou with six kills and Tai Manu-Olevao added five. Anuhea Keanini was limited to two kills, but finished with nine assists and four digs. Lahela Williams and Courtney Lelepali had eight digs each.