HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kamehameha outside hitter Kanani Herring of Ewa Beach played for the U.S. Youth National Team last summer.
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Kamehameha's Herring has it all
Kamehameha coach Chris Blake says the hitter is the "consummate teammate"
EVEN while she watches from the sidelines as the second stringers handle a sizzling serve from the opposition, Kamehameha's Kanani Herring is still 100 percent involved in the game.
Yelling out lines of encouragement and advice, the 2005 Star-Bulletin All-State Player of the Year brings intensity to her team whether she's on the court or not.
Volleyball just has that effect on her.
With her crushing swings and her enthusiasm in the heat of competition, it may be surprising to learn that once off the court, the dominating outside hitter is anything but loud and brash.
"As soon as I get on the court, I'm the loudest person there. I'm just too intense," Herring said. "But really off the court I'm quiet and calm."
"She's happy go-lucky outside, and then when she walks into the gym, she's just the player," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "On the court it's all business, get the job done, achieve our goals, make her teammates better."
Already with a state championship and experience in international play, the 16-year-old from Ewa Beach has come a long way from rolling the volleyball around in her backyard.
Born into a family that adores the sport, it was only a matter of time before Herring became interested in volleyball.
"When I first saw my mom them play, I really liked the game," she said. "I thought it was really cool."
What started out as a simple backyard game of tossing the volleyball with her grandfather turned into a lifelong passion. Not too long after the 4-year-old first started handling the ball, her grandfather knew she was going to be a special player.
"My dad, being a sportsperson himself, saw a lot of potential in her," Herring's mother, Melody Danielson, said. "He would teach her the fundamentals, and he would say 'I see a lot in Kanani.' "
At age 6, wanting to compete against others, Herring moved out of the backyard and into the Manoa Girls Athletic Club.
"From there my love of the game just kept growing, becoming more passionate," she said. "I love it so much, even when I'm off the court, I find it exhilarating to watch."
Though she's unsure where she wants to end up, one of Herring's main goals is to secure a full scholarship to a Division I school. And she knows for that to happen, she needs to take care of her studies.
"I keep that as my priority," Herring said. "Of course it's religion, then my family, then school and then volleyball."
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kanani Herring is a quiet person until she steps on the volleyball court for the Kamehameha Warriors.
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This past summer marked a milestone in Herring's young volleyball career as she flew to the other end of the country to compete on the U.S. Youth National Team in the NORCECA Girls Youth Continental Volleyball Championship at Gainesville, Fla. She scored six points to help the U.S. defeat the Dominican Republic in the title match.
The trip was exciting for Herring, who had never traveled to the East Coast. In addition to working with different coaches, one of the highlights for Herring was the experience of playing and interacting not only with some of the best players in her age group stateside, but also with players from other countries.
"It was really competitive," she said. "Everybody had some kind of spark. You'd have to put your whole heart and soul into games to show yourself through this great team."
With tears in her eyes, Danielson watched as her daughter marched onto the court to the Olympic anthem behind a large American flag.
"It was such a huge highlight because she was representing not only her country, but her state," Danielson said. "She felt very honored to be in that situation, in that class."
The next step for Herring will be to qualify for the national team again next summer. With the team's performance at the tournament, the U.S. secured a bid into the 2007 FIVB Girls Youth World Championship (U-18), to be held in Mexicali and Tijuana, Mexico.
"I learned to just keep setting standards high," Herring said of her time with the youth national team. "I can't at any point just let my guard down. I've always got to work better, never settle for anything, just keep going and going."
Blake said the most impressive thing about Herring is her drive to work not only on the things that everyone notices, but even the smallest nuances of the game. Besides all the impressive leaps and swings, Herring's exceptional attitude is what sets her apart.
"I've had the honor and privilege of working with a lot of great players. I've worked with Lily (Kahumoku) and Kanoe (Kamana'o), and everyone does things differently. But for her, she's the consummate teammate, always worrying about others instead of worrying about what she's getting," Blake said.
Whether it's her fellow starters and veterans, or the sparingly used bench players, Herring tries to help all of her teammates improve through confidence and praise.
"She makes big plays for us, but she knows the attitude that she brings to the team is even more important than what she does physically," said Cassidee Young, Herring's friend and Warrior teammate. "Every other player on the team wouldn't be the same without her."
One of Herring's main tasks this season is taking it upon herself to help the younger players to improve, just as countless family members, coaches and teammates helped her.
"With our new girls coming in, all we can do is just help them out, have them learn our game strategy, and just mold them because they're going to be representing our future Warriors," said Herring.
"I know she'll go far in the future if not because of her talent, then because of her humility and the support that she gives," Young said.