Thurlby filling
role for HawaiiThe backup setter stays
focused despite getting
limited playing time
LAS VEGAS >> There is a plan.
There is always a plan. A reason that things happen the way they do.
The question is always "Why?" The answer may come tomorrow ... or next week ... or years from now.
Cayley Thurlby isn't sure what it means to be the backup setter for the No. 2-ranked Hawaii women's volleyball team. All she knows is that she is where she is supposed to be, doing what she is supposed to do, being who she is supposed to be.
UNLV Thanksgiving
Where: Cox Pavilion (3,000), Las Vegas
Tournament
All times Hawaii time
Today: No. 2 Hawaii (30-1) vs. Weber State (7-19), 3 p.m.; UNLV (11-17) vs. Kentucky (14-16), 5 p.m.
Tomorrow: Hawaii vs. Kentucky, 3 p.m.; UNLV vs. Weber State.
TV: None.
Radio: Hawaii matches, KKEA 1420-AM.
Notes: Associate head coach Charlie Wade tore the plantar fascia ligament in his left foot during practice yesterday and will be sidelined for several weeks. Coach Dave Shoji joked that he was ready to take over Wade's job during hitting drills ... The Wahine were to have their Thanksgiving meal at the Las Vegas home of redshirt freshman middle Kari Gregory, who made the road trip.
It's not easy for the Fab 50 pick and AAU All-American to stand on the sidelines again after doing it as a redshirt freshman last year. After fall camp, Thurlby saw her anticipated starting role go to true freshman Kanoe Kamana'o.
"Sure, it is frustrating," said Thurlby, who expects to see limited playing time today against Weber State in the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament. "But this is my role. It's not what I expected this season but it's something I've accepted. And, no matter what, I'm going to work hard, do my best and improve every time I'm out there."
It wasn't an easy choice for Hawaii coach Dave Shoji. Last season, he was able to use a two-setter offense with Margaret Vakasausau and Jen Carey.
This season, the offensive strategy was different. Shoji decided to go with just one setter -- Kamana'o.
"Kanoe has more command and consistency with all the sets," said Shoji. "I know it's tough right now on Cayley and we'll try to find a way to get her more involved next year. This year, she's doing what we need her to do. She's always ready to go in when we need her in certain situations.
"I can't say enough good things about her, about her attitude and what she brings to the team. She is the ultimate team player and is willing to do anything for the program."
That Thurlby came to the Hawaii program is a tale of fate and faith, where the improbable became possible and allowed her to come to Manoa from Naperville, Ill.
The day that her first choice -- Ohio State -- offered her a scholarship, a coach from her dream school -- Hawaii -- saw her play.
"My recruiting experience was very brief with Hawaii," said Thurlby. "Ohio State was supposed to give me a (scholarship) offer two weeks prior to this one tournament but they wanted to see me play one more time.
"I was really frustrated, thinking they didn't want me any more. They were my No. 1 choice and I wanted to play in the Big Ten. Hawaii was my dream school since day one and, even though I had sent my SAT and ACT scores to UH-Manoa, I never thought it was possible."
The impossible suddenly became a reality. The same day the Buckeyes put their offer on the table, Wahine associate head coach Charlie Wade saw Thurlby play.
She was just a junior but already a two-time all-conference pick, and had earned the first of two all-state awards. The recruiting process doesn't allow for contact between a coach and an underclassman, but Thurlby learned through an assistant of Hawaii's interest.
"I told Ohio State they were going to have to wait," said Thurlby. "I called the (UH) office and spoke to (assistant) Kari Anderson and Dave. I told him I was in a gridlock with three other schools (Ohio State, Wake Forest and Tennessee) waiting.
"A few weeks later, Dave came to see me, offered me (a scholarship) and told me to think about it. I told him I didn't need to. I wanted to go somewhere where I'd win an NCAA championship, be part of something great. The program was a huge attraction. But I also wanted a school where, if something happened to me, if I got injured and never could play volleyball again, I'd be somewhere I absolutely loved."
From day one, Thurlby said, she's enjoyed the total student-athlete experience.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said. "I've never thought about transferring. The best part is walking into a gym and seeing fans that love to watch you play. It's an honor having little girls saying, 'I want to be a Rainbow Wahine some day like you.'"
Thurlby's younger sister, 13-year-old Chelsea, is already thinking about it.
"I loved it when my sister came out and her eyes lit up when she saw the crowd," said Cayley Thurlby. "She said, 'I'm going to play volleyball here.' She's very talented, just won her city tournament, and she's achieving things I wanted but never did.
"I hope I planted a seed and she will continue the (volleyball playing) tradition. I'd recommend that she become a Wahine. She'd enjoy the experience so much."
Thurlby has only played in 44 games out of a possible 101. Sometimes it's only for one or two plays when the situation calls for a bigger block; the 5-foot-8 Kamana'o will sub out for 6-2 Susie Boogaard in the front row and Thurlby will replace Nohea Tano in the back row.
"There are frustrating days, like when it's 20-7 and you know that you won't get in for another seven points," said Thurlby. "It's the way Dave runs it. It's something that (freshman hitter) Alicia Arnott and I have gotten used to, but not something we want to be comfortable with. But there's not much we can do about it."
Except play hard when the opportunity presents itself and believe that next year there will be more opportunities.
"Kanoe and I have a very unique relationship," said Thurlby. "It's very similar to Jen (Carey) and Margaret (Vakasausau). Neither of us are selfish and we both want the best for the team. We learn from each other every day.
"I truly, truly believe that coming to Hawaii was not my doing, it was not in my hands. It was totally in God's hands. There is a reason why I was sent here. I have learned so much in one year and I love all my teammates. There is always a purpose for things and I'm really confident with where I'm at and where I'm going."
