Ogoshi finds a home
at New York’s Hofstra

In June, Shellane Ogoshi was a libero without a volleyball team.

Last week, she was the starting setter for NCAA Division I Hofstra of New York and just missed a triple-double in her first college match.

Ogoshi graduated from Roosevelt High School in May, and was considering a partial Division II scholarship offer from a branch of Long Island University, but that program was terminated in June.

Hofstra coach Fran Kalafer, who had never had a player from Hawaii, saw Ogoshi play libero for QuickSet at the Junior Nationals in Houston and offered her a full scholarship to play libero.

Ogoshi accepted, then visited the campus. "I did it a little backward," she explained, "but I really wanted to play Division I. That has always been my dream."

Twist No. 2: Hofstra's returning setter, from Argentina, got homesick and did not return.

Ogoshi became starting setter, and in her first match, against UC-Davis in San Francisco on Friday, racked up 47 assists, 16 digs and eight kills in a five-game victory.

After Hofstra's first five matches, Ogoshi is hitting .308 (second on the team), averaging 10.38 assists (team leader) and 3.48 digs per game (second).

In her first three matches, she had 16, 19 and 17 digs.

Ogoshi says being 5,000 miles from home has not been a problem so far.

"I brought Spam musubi, li hing mui and chocolate Mac nuts and I'm teaching my teammates to eat Spam musubi," she said. "They all told me, 'I've never eaten Spam in my life,' but most of them really enjoy it."

Ogoshi has already been resupplied by her mother, Mary, with guava jelly, nori and shoyu.

Ogoshi is 5-feet-2 and says the biggest differences she notices between high school and college volleyball are that "the girls are much bigger, and playing five sets takes a toll on you.

"But I'm good to go."

Another Hawaii-born and raised athlete who will be called upon to teach surfing this weekend is Santa Clara University volleyball setter Kristen Luxton.

She will be playing in the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Volleyball Challenge at the Stan Sheriff Center against No. 3 UCLA at 5 p.m. today, against No. 11 Hawaii at 7 p.m. tomorrow and vs. Southwest Missouri State at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Luxton says her teammates have appointed her surf instructor. "We are definitely going surfing and hopefully some snorkeling," Luxton said.

Luxton moved to California in 2001 after her junior year at Maryknoll to get more exposure for a college volleyball scholarship. It worked; she has a full ride at Santa Clara, where she is a marketing major with a minor in retail management.

Luxton started at libero last year for Santa Clara -- she amassed 30 digs in one match -- and was moved to setter this year in a two-setter offense.

"I love it," Luxton said. "It's awesome to be setting again."

There is another change for Luxton this season besides her position. Her brunette hair is now blonde with dark streaks.

Luxton's parents still live in Honolulu and she makes it home twice a year.

"Everyone is real excited (about the trip), but definitely not more than me," she said. "I'm really excited."

>>FreshmanMarisa Okamoto, a Star-Bulletin all-state setter for Kalani last season, and sophomore Kristin Koochi (Iolani '03 of Aiea) played major roles in UNLV's opening matches last weekend.

Okamoto started all 11 games and averaged 13.64 assists, including 76 assists and 11 digs in a five-game, season-opening victory over Washington State. Koochi had five aces off the bench.

>> Sophomore Tiffany Butac (Hawaii Baptist '03 of Pearl City) has averaged 3.14 digs per game and served eight aces in the first eight matches for Seattle Pacific.

>> Sophomore Liz Narkon (Saint Francis '02 of Hawaii Kai) had PacWest Conference season highs of 33 kills in 66 swings in four games for Western New Mexico against Indianapolis. Narkon was chosen to the Cal Poly-Pomona all-tournament team.

>> Pacific (Oregon) freshman setter Anela Iseke (Kamehameha '04 of Hauula) had a triple-double of 15 kills, 14 assists and 14 digs in a non-counting match against Community Colleges of Spokane. She hit .527 in five games.