With each new poll and All-America team that comes out, things get a little bit harder for Brigham Young-Hawaii coach Wilfred Navalta and his staff. Latest title
most gratifying
for BYUH coachesBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comThe Seasiders were voted the top team in the country Wednesday after winning their 10th women's volleyball national championship, further bringing recognition to the team that surprised everyone but itself.
"I think our biggest challenge will be to keep the girls humble," said assistant coach Mike Apo, who has been at Navalta's side for eight national championships. "It shouldn't be too hard though, Coach Navalta has special ways of turning it up in practice and keeping players hungry. Sometimes our practices are harder than our games."
BYU-Hawaii, which ended the season 27-2, started its climb in the rankings with a first-week upset of defending national champion Barry that vaulted the Seasiders into the top 10 at the No. 7 slot. The team remained in the top 10 throughout the season, climbing as high as No. 2, but never made it to the top until this week's poll.
Apo will remember this national championship as one for the ages, mostly because of the youth of the squad and the adversity it overcame.
The Seasiders lost their second-leading scorer (Dan Xu) three-quarters of the way through the regular season because of a broken hand, and made due without their starting setter (Kaala Lo) for a quarter of the season because of a back injury and academic problems. To have come through all that with their youngest group ever was what made this one different from the others.
"After we won, Wilfred and I turned to each other and I said, 'This has got to be one of the better feelings,' " Apo said. "It was really exciting because of all of the personal challenges. The girls stayed tough and we did it with some young kids."
And now those young kids, many of them sophomores, have already done what few BYUH teams had ever done -- gone from lightly regarded to national champions. BYUH was not invited to the regional tournament in 2001.
"This year it was nice to be the hunter," Apo said. "It was the first time for our girls. As coaches, we know what it takes, but it was so great to see them learn it as they went farther in the tournament."
With all but one starter returning next year, including two first-team All-Americans in Yu Chuan Weng and Chun Yi Lin, it is likely that the Seasiders will stay at No. 1 in next year's preseason poll.
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