STAR-BULLETIN / NOVEMBER 2002
Kahuku setter Camilla Ah-Hoy celebrated on Nov. 7, 2002 at the Stan Sheriff Center after Kahuku won the OIA title.
OIA East moves
into spotlight
First-year Kalani girls volleyball coach Aven Lee won't wait long to see where her Falcons stand this season.
Tomorrow the Falcons visit defending state champion Kahuku (approximately 11 a.m.) in their season opener in what figures to be a pivotal match in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's East Conference race.
If anything, the hype regarding tomorrow's match neatly summarizes volleyball in the OIA. Indeed, the importance of any matchup can't be overestimated. The OIA girls and boys volleyball season is more of a sprint than a marathon, after all, with its regular season covering just about a month's time before giving way to the postseason.
The OIA's West Conference opened its season last night with several matches, but tomorrow, the East moves into the spotlight. And in the East, the road to the girls' conference title clearly passes through Kahuku, which has won the past two OIA championships. The Red Raiders also won both meetings with Kalani last season.
It was Kalani that won the East Conference regular season with a 9-1 mark, despite the lone loss to Kahuku. The Falcons return an all-star cast, highlighted by junior outside hitter Tamari Miyashiro.
"I'm expecting her to provide a lot of the leadership on this team," said Lee, who coached at Kamehameha the past two years. "She's been the go-to person."
Also back for the Falcons are outside hitter Dara Waialae, junior defensive specialist Keri Hee and senior setter Marisa Okamoto.
"When we're in trouble, we go to Tamari," Lee said. "I've been asking the other girls to take off that pressure. Michelle is the quarterback of the team, Dara is probably the hardest worker on the team, and Keri can jump out of the gym."
Like the Falcons, Kahuku returns a veteran cast, and the Red Raiders have made a habit of winning the big matches. Although the Red Raiders lost state tournament MVP Michelle "Tuli" Peters and Lesina Funaki to graduation, they bring back middle blocker Mona Ale, outside hitter Chazel Fiso, middle blocker Musie Olevao, and setter Camilla Ah-Hoy, who was the top freshman in the state a year ago.
"We depended on Tuli a lot last year, but this year we have a lot more go-to girls," Kahuku coach Mona Ah-Hoy said. "We have four who can really whack the ball, and we're improving day by day."
The parity that usually prevails in the East will keep the Red Raiders from looking past anyone on their schedule, according to Ah-Hoy.
"There's definitely no problem with overconfidence here," she said. "I've told the girls everyone will be after us, so go out and play like champions."
In the West, Pearl City coach Stephanie Shota is counting on three key returnees -- OH Tina Questel, OH Marci Lobendahn, and setter Stacy Iwahashi -- to help the Chargers defend their conference title.
"This year we have seven girls who are above 5-(feet)-7, so it's probably one of the taller teams I've had," said Shota, "but our approach is always the same. If you don't have good defense and passing, size doesn't matter. It's a group that plays well together, and that should outweigh our (level of) physical talent."
Shota expects the Chargers to face stiff competition in the West from Aiea, Campbell and Leilehua, among others.
The Pearl City boys' team has a new coach in Dayne Tevis, and expectations remain high for the Chargers, who were the state tournament's runner-up last year in addition to winning the OIA.
"The OIA title is always our goal here," said Tevis, who returns to Hawaii volleyball after four years in San Francisco. "We're focused, and I've seen a huge difference in our play from two weeks ago. The strength of our group is that we're really team-oriented."
The Chargers are led by OH/S Tyson Takiguchi, MB Michael Hardy and OH Brandon Rambonga.
With eight starters back, Mililani also figures to be in the thick of the West Conference race. The Trojans were the OIA's runner-up to Pearl City last season and are led by OH Aaron Fujimoto, MH Puna Neumann and setter Brandon Caban.
"Experience is a key for us right now," Mililani coach Kauanoe Eldredge said. "We have a lot more confidence this year. Most of our boys have been in the program for three or four years, so they know how to play in the tough situations, and everyone feeds off of Brandon."
In the boys' East Conference, six key returnees are back at Kalaheo, giving Mustangs coach Sivan Leoni the most seasoned team in his three years at the school.
The Mustangs feature 6-foot-7 middle-blocker Sam Wilhoite, OH Elias Ayau, setter Chris Tumaneng, OH William Elliott, MB Ryan Belles, OH Mana Guerreiro and Kamehameha transfer Brandon Wong.
"As usual, I'm trying to run a quick offense -- it's not a complicated scheme -- so blocking will be big for us, especially with Sam on board," Leoni said. "A lot of these kids have matured, and we have a versatile group, so I have the flexibility to put players into different positions."
Castle, which is coached by veteran Pat Gomes-Woolsey, is the defending co-champion in the East (shared with Kalaheo) and has the conference Player of the Year returning in setter Alika De Rego.
Prep volleyball matches will have a different feel in 2003 as the sport switches over to the rally-scoring format used in college.
"Ball control is the key," Tevis said. "Every serve is a point now, so that's an area where there will always be room for improvement."
