Kapaa makes
its debut in top 10

They're not tall or dominant, but the Kapaa Warriors are slowly gaining respect from coaches and media.

The Warriors, off to a 3-0 start in Kauai Interscholastic Federation play, landed in a tie for No. 10 in the Star-Bulletin Boys Volleyball Top 10 released today.

Punahou remained atop both the boys and girls rankings. The unbeaten Buffanblu boys collected all 11 first-place votes, while the Punahou girls garnered 11 of 16 first-place votes.

With very little change in either poll, Kapaa's emergence caused a ripple.

The Warriors have already matched last year's KIF win total. They were 3-5 a year ago under then first-year coach Merrill Carvalho.

Junior setter Daniel Roderick and senior Lynden Pascual are among the leaders for Kapaa. The team has six returnees, giving the Warriors confidence and chemistry.

Pascual is only 5-foot-9, but mans the middle.

"He's quick and he can jump. Last year, we had him on the left side, but we had to move him to the middle," Carvalho said.

The tallest Warrior is their other middle, Nate Berelas, who is 5-10.

Kapaa played in the Longy Okimoto tournament on Oahu last month, facing Kamehameha and Maryknoll, among others. The Warriors lost to Castle in the Silver Division final.

"From that tournament, I found that the boys I have can compete with the top teams in the state," Carvalho said. "Our passing was one area of weakness I was concerned about, but we kind of pulled it together during that tournament. The mental errors were our biggest downfall."

The Warriors can clinch the KIF first-round title with a win over Kauai tomorrow. They've come a long way in just one year.

"The difference, I think the boys finally accepted me as the head coach. Last year, it was a new system and the boys weren't really together. But this year, this group of boys are real close-knit, the kind of team that's 12 brothers," said Carvalho, who teaches special education at Kapaa Middle School.

"Whoever wins the KIF, they'll go far. We're all scrappy, real aggressive," he added. "I think we have a good chance."