Las Vegas trip pays off
for Rainbow Wahine
volleyball team in
recruiting Mafua

Previously an outside hitter, the
5-foot-9 junior drew attention
from UH as a setter

Danielle Mafua

To claim a gem in the rough from their own backyard, the University of Hawaii traveled 3,000 miles.

It was worth every inch of the way. Danielle Mafua, a junior at Mid-Pacific, verbally committed to play for coach Dave Shoji this week. Her school is literally in the backyard of the Manoa campus, and UH had the talented, multi-sport standout on its radar for three years.

"When I went on my unofficial visit last week, I felt so welcomed and wanted," said Mafua, who is 5-foot-9 and never imagined that she'd play for UH.

"I wanted to go to Oregon for a while. UH is always in the top five. I never thought I could hang with them. When we got back (from a tournament in Las Vegas), I was like, 'Whoa! He's interested,' " she said of Shoji.

Mafua began as an outside hitter at Mid-Pacific, but began setting last season. With more work over the winter, her skills at the position blossomed. Then came last month's tournament in Las Vegas with her offseason team, Jammers Volleyball Club. That's when the sirens went off.

"As soon as they saw her set, UH was really interested," Jammers coach Leeann Satele said. Among the schools that initiated contact was Florida State, she added.

"Her options would've been as an outside hitter if she'd gone away. But she really wanted to work on her setting game," said Mafua's mother, Jodi.

The multi-sport star sacrificed her basketball career with the Owls this spring in favor of more volleyball with the Jammers. The Jammers, like many other local teams, went to a national tournament in Las Vegas last month. Mafua and teammate Careena Onosai (Word of Life) saw their stock skyrocket in the eyes of NCAA Division I coaches.

It didn't hurt that Mafua and her family attend the same church, New Hope Christian Fellowship, as Shoji. "Last week, we were flipping through the channels, and we caught 'Connecting Point,' " Jodi Mafua said of a TV show hosted by the church. "Dave was on, not just talking about coaching, but about his faith. That was like a sign for us."

Three years ago, while still in eighth grade, Mafua told her parents that she wanted to go to college. From that point on, they made every opportunity available to her, including club ball.

UH caught her on its recruiting radar. Assistant coach Charlie Wade was aware of Mafua from that point, while she was still an eighth grader.

"Me and Daniel (Danielle's father) promised each other not to try and sway her," Jodi said. "But everything about the visit (to UH) was good. Their business school does a good job of placing students."

Daniel Mafua was a standout basketball player at Kaimuki in the mid-1980s. He is now the football coach there.

Satele recently saw one of her sons, Brashton, commit to Hawaii in football. "I'm really excited for Dani and her parents. If you know where you want to be, it's always better to make the commitment early," she said.

Satele, the former Leeann Pestana, also played volleyball at UH under Shoji.