[ DIVISION II REPORT ]
COURTESY BYUH
You couldn’t
take her outWithout job security, Moeai
has started for three years
and won one national title
A national championship team spends its time looking over its shoulder, always trying to stay a step ahead of the upstarts striving to take the crown.
But it doesn't end there, as Brigham Young-Hawaii's Ashley Moeai knows well.
Moeai is in her fourth year as a starter on Wilfred Navalta's national championship volleyball team at Brigham Young-Hawaii. She has never been an All-American or Pacific West Conference Player of the Year, just a roadblock at the net for the Seasiders.
"As soon as I get someone, I seem to immediately look for ways to replace them," Navalta said. "But Ashley has always been athletic enough to become a very important part of every team."
Part of the reason Navalta's teams are always in the hunt for the national championship is they find ways to improve. Moeai could start at any Division II school in the nation, but has never been afforded the security of knowing that she would be on the floor every night for BYUH. She has earned every start.
"Every year I've been here it's been almost like having a new team," Moeai said. "Coach Navalta is certainly not afraid of making adjustments, and it seemed like every year he would get rid of the girls I was closest to."
Moeai stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman, believing it was her job to replace BYUH legend Arlete Silva. She didn't make anyone forget about Silva, but she did start all season long and hit .370 to give the program something to build on. But just because you start one year does not mean that you will start the next. Navalta opened up trade with China, bringing an outside hitter in to take Moeai's place. Moeai simply moved over a spot and started her entire sophomore season at middle blocker.
"My freshman year I kind of surprised myself because I was filling big shoes and really didn't expect to play," Moeai said. "But when they threw me in there, that's when I learned a lot and it gave me confidence.
"Confidence is huge, I think. You see in practice girls just banging away and sometimes they get into the game and just choke."
Although being pulled never enters her mind during the game, Moeai knows that the nature of the program is very "what have you done for me lately." Navalta has pulled star players off the floor in nearly every campaign for a variety of reasons, not all of them because of a lack of performance on the court.
"You never know who or what he is bringing in," Moeai said. "You might hear a few things, but it isn't until camp that you can see for yourself. I know that my spot isn't always going to be sustained and Coach has never hesitated in telling me so. Just humbling little reminders when I make a mistake."
Moeai is in her final year and trying for her second national championship. What she is not trying to do is climb up the school record books. She says she is still walking on air from last year's national championship and that the only thing that could possibly equal it is another one just like it. But her career numbers can't be ignored, especially if you have the sort of fixation with the number six that she does.
Although she is No. 10 in the BYUH record book in games played -- pointing out how rare it is for a player to start for four years in the program -- she is sixth in kills, attempts, hitting percentage, blocks, block assists and solo blocks.
That's not too bad for a basketball player. Moeai still considers herself a basketball player on a volleyball court, even winning a local 3-on-3 tournament and shooting around with her teammates whenever she gets a chance, making Hawaii's best small college volleyball team perhaps its best basketball team as well.
"We can put on the basketball shorts and look as tough as anybody else," Moeai said. "We are not very good, but we will surprise you."
But it's her play on the volleyball court that has kept Moeai's spot on the floor for Navalta. Whenever a former player returns to the Cannon Activities Center to catch up on old times and maybe watch a practice, Navalta has them point to the banner in the rafters she had a hand in. Moeai has a place to point, but wants to be able to use both hands.
"It was kind of fun being the underdog; last year was so much fun," Moeai said. "But it is so much better to be able to say, 'My last year here, they won.' I don't care who plays, as long as we win."
PacWest Standings
x-clinched division championship
Conf GB Overall Pct x-BYU-Hawaii 9-0 -- 19-2 .905 Hawaii Pacific 6-3 3 15-6 .714 Chaminade 4-5 5 10-12 .455 Hawaii-Hilo 3-6 6 7-15 .318 Western N.M 3-6 6 16-13 .552 Montana St.-Billings 2-7 7 6-18 .250
Regional Poll
Top six teams advance to regional tournament; through Nov. 9
Overall Region 1. UC-San Diego 23-4 20-4 2. Western Washington 22-1 21-1 3. Cal State-San Bernardino 23-4 18-3 4. BYU-Hawaii 19-2 17-2 5. Cal State-Bakersfield 17-7 15-6 6. Hawaii Pacific 15-6 12-5 7. Cal State-Los Angeles 19-8 13-6 8. Seattle 16-8 15-6 9. Cal Poly Pomona 17-11 14-10 10. Alaska-Fairbanks 13-8 12-8 Hitting Percentage
Minimum .200/3.0 attacks per game
G K E Tot Pct Chun Yi Lin, BYUH 72 317 39 605 .460 Barbara Martin, HPU 77 194 49 394 .368 Ashley Moeai, BYUH 72 283 77 568 .363 Nadica Karleusa, HPU 73 308 93 703 .306 Patti Hardimon, CU 76 228 82 528 .277 Yu Chuan Weng, BYUH 72 289 102 697 .268 Paula Nascimento, HPU 57 103 33 262 .267 Flavia Brakling, HPU 78 331 122 813 .257 Laree Green, WNMU 96 207 70 588 .233 Christina Cooley, UHH 54 100 41 276 .214
KILLS G K Avg. Kahala Kabalis, Chaminade 75 352 4.69 Chun Yi Lin, BYUH 72 317 4.40 Sara Pilgreen, Hilo 84 360 4.29 Flavia Brakling, HPU 78 331 4.24 Nadica Karleusa, HPU 73 308 4.22 Yu Chuan Weng, BYUH 72 289 4.01 Olivia Munro, MSUB 83 327 3.94 Ashley Moeai, BYUH 72 283 3.93 Valsai Sepulona, Chaminade 76 297 3.91 Silvia Oliveira, BYUH 45 160 3.56
ASSISTS G A Avg. Kaala Lo, BYUH 67 926 13.82 Vera Oliveira, HPU 71 834 11.75 Michelle Norman, Chaminade 76 881 11.59 Megan Denman, Hilo 67 664 9.91 Kari Jones, MSUB 66 635 9.62 Malia Kauhi, WNMU 86 743 8.64 Amy Goodnight, WNMU 56 430 7.68 Brittany Baum, Hilo 53 355 6.70
SERVICE ACES G No. Avg. Kaala Lo, BYUH 67 39 0.58 Paula Nascimento, HPU 57 29 0.51 Kahala Kabalis, Chaminade 75 38 0.51 Vera Oliveira, HPU 71 31 0.44 Shannon Hillier, Hilo 58 24 0.41 Patti Hardimon, Chaminade 76 31 0.41 Yu Chuan Weng, BYUH 72 29 0.40 Nadica Karleusa, HPU 73 29 0.40 Liz Narkon, WNMU 103 39 0.38 Flavia Brakling, HPU 78 28 0.36
BLOCKS G S A Tot. Avg. Chun Yi Lin, BYUH 72 28 54 82.0 1.14 Laree Green, WNMU 96 19 90 109.0 1.14 Barbara Martin, HPU 77 15 72 87.0 1.13 Katrina Dahlgren, MSUB 77 19 66 85.0 1.10 Suzanne Bruchhauser, WNMU 102 12 97 109.0 1.07 Cortney Metzler, MSUB 81 10 71 81.0 1.00 Ashley Moeai, BYUH 72 16 52 68.0 0.94 Nadica Karleusa, HPU 73 14 52 66.0 0.90 Cori Sutter, Hilo 80 6 63 69.0 0.86 Sandra Beal, MSUB 58 2 39 41.0 0.71
DIGS G No. Avg. Kahealani Silva, Hilo 82 350 4.27 Sara Pilgreen, Hilo 84 330 3.93 Alberta Letoa, MSUB 83 301 3.63 Kalae Araujo, Chaminade 75 264 3.52 Frederica Tonon, BYUH 45 149 3.31 Olivia Munro, MSUB 83 273 3.29 Silvia Oliveira, BYUH 45 144 3.20 Yu Chuan Weng, BYUH 72 228 3.17 Kim Tano, WNMU 107 326 3.05 Kaala Lo, BYUH 67 198 2.96
