JEFF GOLDEN / LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
Kealani Kimball has graduated from leading Kamehameha to helping Loyola Marymount knock off ranked college teams.
Lions get better with
Warrior at the net
Kamehameha Schools graduate Kealani Kimball -- in a new position and on a mission -- was selected West Coast Conference volleyball Player of the Week yesterday.
Kimball's blocks, digs and kills led Loyola Marymount to weekend victories over 12th-ranked Santa Clara and No. 16 San Diego.
The senior co-captain, a 2000 Kamehameha graduate from Kaunakakai, Molokai, led the Lions in kills both nights with 22 against Santa Clara and 14 against San Diego.
Kimball added 18 digs, four blocks and three service aces in a sweep of Santa Clara.
Against San Diego, Kimball also contributed 12 digs, five blocks and two aces in a four-game victory.
Her three blocks helped hold San Diego's Kristen Hurst to three kills in the final game after Hurst got 19 in the first three games.
"That was huge for the match," coach Steve Stratos said. "Their right-side hitter (Hurst) had been hurting us all night."
Kimball said, "They were in trouble and we knew they were going to her on slides, so I got good position."
Stratos explained, "Kea is a tremendous blocker as a left-side hitter because of her experience."
Kimball was first-team All-West Coast Conference the past two years -- as a middle blocker. She struggled when Stratos tried her at outside hitter in 2001, but this time the move has gone smoothly.
"Hitting outside is a totally different situation," Stratos said, "but we had a large number of very good middle blockers this year and she is the most versatile, so we moved her to hitter."
She has become the Lions' go-to hitter. In the two matches last weekend, she had 123 swings.
Kimball is seventh on LMU's career kills list with 962.
She still prefers playing middle blocker -- where she was an All-American for Kamehameha's No. 1-nationally ranked 1999 team -- but says graciously, "That's where my team needs me. And it makes it fun because there is something new to learn every day at practice."
She ranks fifth in the WCC this season in kills (4.31 per game), sixth in digs (3.33) and 10th in service aces (27).
After its two victories last weekend, Loyola Marymount climbed four rungs to 13th in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll. The Lions are 21-3 overall and 6-1 in the WCC, second to fifth-ranked Pepperdine.
"We haven't been to NCAAs since my freshman year," Kimball said. "It's about time we returned. If we play our best we will go far."
To the sweet 16? "If we play our best," hopefully a little farther."
Notes: The Lions have defeated four teams that were ranked at the time: No. 7 UC-Santa Barbara on Sept. 2, No. 24 San Francisco on Oct. 4, Santa Clara and San Diego. ... Kimball was chosen Most Valuable Player of the Washington State tournament in last month and led Loyola Marymount with 17 kills and 13 digs when the Lions played at Hawaii on Sept. 19. ... Michelle Look (Punahou '02 of Kailua) is a reserve outside hitter for Loyola. ... Kimball insists she is 5-feet, 10-inches tall, though there are doubters. "She was a pygmy in the middle by Division I standards, even though she has tremendous leaping ability," coach Steve Stratos said.
