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Thursday, September 7, 2000
Our When the University of Hawaii women's volleyball team stands for the singing of Hawaii Pono'i, look closely at sophomore left-side hitter Lily Kahumoku.
Hawaiian
Lily
Wahine sophomore hitter
Willoughby doubtful tonight
Kahumoku has found her
spiritual home hereBy Pat Bigold
Star-BulletinWatch her face and notice how transfixed she seems as she gazes at the state flag hanging from the rafters.
"It's very captivating" said Kahumoku, last year's Western Athletic Conference freshman of the year and first-team All-WAC pick.
"There's a spiritual connection there for me. There's something beyond what I can describe or explain. I belong here. I do."
That passionate expression from the young woman known to fans as the "Poi Pounder" flows easily from a heart that has found its home.
Kahumoku was born in Charleston, S.C., on June 24, 1981. Four years ago, she was an all-state player as a sophomore at Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas.
She and her family had visited Hawaii on several occasions and Kahumoku understood her Hawaiian heritage. But she said she was not able to feel it until she moved here.
"I went to Ka'u on the Big Island with friends this summer and it was so beautiful," she said. "I can't put into words the feeling of being one with the land and your friends. There's something more than you can just see. It goes beyond that."
Her athletic and academic prowess, as well as family connections brought Kahumoku to Kamehameha Schools in 1996.
"If it wasn't for volleyball, I doubt I ever would've gotten to come back here," said Kahumoku, Hawaii's kill leader after three matches.
She led the Kamehameha Warriors to state titles in 1997 and 1998, and helped the Wahine get to the NCAA regional semifinals last year.
Kahumoku is known as the quintessential team player, constantly deflecting credit to teammates.
Her humility is such that it's hard to get her to talk about her own play.
But Kahumoku said that this is the personality of the Hawaiian Lily.
The Texas Lily was a "prima donna," as she puts it.
"I was not a very good team player," she said, "and my teammates hated me. I caused a lot of pain and hurt feelings and lost friends.
"One day, I realized that in one second I could lose everything I have. And I learned there are people out there much better than me."
Today, she lowers her head whenever someone praises her.
"Keep that humility, young lady, and you'll go a long way," Iowa head coach Rita Buck-Crockett advised her.
Sophomore setter Jennifer Carey, Kahumoku's roommate, says Lily is a friend to everyone.
"The crowd here loves her and she appreciates them," she said. "Her immediate family isn't here, so all the local people are her family."
Freshman starting right-side hitter Kim Willoughby is listed as "doubtful" for tonight's match against Oregon and might not play until Sunday. Willoughby 'doubtful'
During Monday's win over UCLA, Willoughby sprained her left ankle and was involved in a collision with a teammate. The lingering effects of both mishaps led Wahine coach Dave Shoji to hold Willoughby out of practice yesterday. He is urging her to give herself time to recover.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii