Wednesday, October 13, 1999
Uila Crabbe,
Kamehameha set
on another title
The Warriors' senior likes
By Cindy Luis
her team's chances of a
volleyball three-peat
Star-BulletinWhen it comes to the performing arts, Uila Crabbe is already an accomplished triathlete.
Hula, singing and volleyball are her three events. All the world's a stage - as well as a court - for the Kamehameha Schools' senior setter.
"I love to perform,'' said Crabbe. "I think that my singing and dancing have helped me deal with the pressure of being in front of big crowds. Some players choke when they get out there, in front of a lot of people. It doesn't really bother me.''
The 16-year-old Crabbe has been dancing professionally with her aunty's Halau Namea Hula O Kahikina O Kalalani since she was 6. She's been equally successful in volleyball, beginning in the seventh grade when she caught the eye of Warriors' varsity coach Dan Kitashima.
"She was athletic but I also saw something else in her,'' said Kitashima, 9-0 in his 12th varsity season at Kamehameha. "She had this drive, this desire to do well and the willingness to work at doing well all the time.
"She already had the skills back then. She had the maturity and resiliency. And I can't say enough about her heart.''Kitashima brought Crabbe and two others up to the varsity team as freshmen to get them used to program without the pressure of playing immediately. It was the first time he had taken players that young, straight out of the intermediate level.
Crabbe hasn't disappointed. Since she became the starting setter as a sophomore, the Warriors have gone 52-1 with two state titles; they haven't dropped a match since early in the 1997 season.
In August, Crabbe was named the MVP as Kamehameha won the Maui Life-Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas. Last week, the Warriors rose to No. 1 in the Vball.com national prep girls' rankings.
"Uila is the kind of player who makes everyone around her better,'' said Warriors assistant Chris Blake. "There are certain players who are able to put a team on their back and say, 'I'll take you where we want to go.' She does that.
"Being a setter is more than just having the hands and getting the ball there. She has the knowledge, the mind to go along with the hands. Her physical size (5-foot-7) might be a liability but she's one of those kids who plays big and has the heart of a lion.''
Crabbe likes the makeup of this year's Warriors team.
"We have a lot of great players this year ... Casey (Castillo), Nohea (Tano), Kea (Kimball), Ku'ulei (Kamana'o). It's a well-rounded team. The past two years, we had Lily (two-time state player of the year Kahumoku, now starting for the University of Hawaii). She was our go-to player. This year, we can go to anyone because we've had to become one.
"The hardest thing to deal with is being on top. We can't get complacent with how well we're doing, otherwise we'll fall apart.''
