Warriors a unanimous No. 1 in girls poll

Hawaii Baptist makes its way onto the list at No. 9

The top half of any poll, particularly the first few positions, is always a magnet for attention.

Kamehameha, ranked 12th in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com, is a unanimous pick at No. 1 in today's Star-Bulletin Girls Volleyball Top 10. The loaded Warriors have future college stars in seniors and underclassmen, including junior Kanani Herring.

The high-flying outside hitter was named the country's top sophomore player by PrepVolleyball.com, but top-level talent doesn't end with Kamehameha, second-ranked Iolani or No. 3 Punahou.

Hawaii Baptist, the small school in lower Nuuanu, has been one of the most consistent programs in the state. The Eagles have forged their niche as a top-10 program that has a multitude of players at the college level.

Current Hawaii starting libero Jayme Lee is one of three players from the 2004-05 HBA team who are still playing the game. Teammate Rayna Kitaguchi is also on the current Rainbow Wahine squad, and setter Brandi Higa recently competed against UH as a member of Fairfield's squad.

Recent Eagle graduate Tricia Yoshimura now plays for Oregon State, and '03 grad Tiffany Butac suits up for Seattle Pacific. In all, five Eagles are playing college ball.

Coach Myles Shioji's team continues to replenish and reload despite the loss of talent each year. The Eagles won their first three matches in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play before falling to Kamehameha on Saturday. Still, voters ranked HBA No. 9 today, a reflection of how far the Eagles have come, despite being one of the league's smaller schools.

"It's been great molding not only talent, but personalities to fit a team model," Shioji said. "It's been fun."