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Wednesday, September 13, 2000

St. Francis a force in
ILH girls volleyball

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By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin

On the national high school scene, St. Francis volleyball refers to the preseason top-ranked Lancers of Mountain View, Calif.

And in Hawaii, St. Francis volleyball used to mean being in the second tier behind Kamehameha and Punahou.

But these days, the Troubadours are singing their song loud and clear. They are becoming a force in Hawaii girls volleyball, and that means national recognition might not be far behind.

Yesterday, St. Francis showed it is for real, pasting defending state champion Kamehameha, 15-3, 15-7 at Kekuhaupio Gym on the Warriors' campus. Kamehameha finished last season ranked No. 1 in the nation by Volleyball Magazine.

"The past three years we've been coming together," St. Francis senior captain Kalae Araujo said. "Punahou and Kamehameha have had awesome teams that took the spotlight, but now we're stepping up a little bit."

St. Francis is tied for first in the ILH with Punahou at 4-0.

Elizabeth Narkon
ST. FRANCIS MIDDLE
Five kills against Kamehameha

Yesterday's victory was St. Francis' first-ever league win over Kamehameha, St. Francis athletic director Tony Tyler said. The Troubadours also beat the Warriors in the preseason.

First-year St. Francis coach Sean Maskell (a 1989 Kamehameha graduate) said a key to St. Francis' success is that his players are relaxed.

"The girls are enjoying themselves on the court, and when they play loose, they seem to do well," he said.

Araujo and junior Elizabeth Narkon led the Troubadours with five kills each. Six aces also helped St. Francis dominate the match. But the most impressive part of the Troubadours' game was their passing.

Setter DeeAnn Nahale rarely had to scramble.

"We worked extra on our passing yesterday," Narkon said. "Our coach always tells us the team that makes the less mistakes wins."

Maskell said consistency has made the Troubadours winners.

"The bottom line is don't try something spectacular unless you're sure you can do it," Maskell said. "We want to make them earn any points they get."

First-year Kamehameha coach Joey (Akeo) Miyashiro said her young team (three freshmen starters) can do better.

"We didn't come ready to play," the former University of Hawaii standout said. "Individually we played OK, but we made mistakes as a team."