Underclassmen overachieving
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
When the 33rd Nissan Girls Volleyball Tournament ends Saturday, don't be surprised if the recurrent parting phrase is: "See you next year."
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Most of the 12 teams making up this year's field are loaded with underclassmen starters. That includes top-seeded Iolani School, where three starters are juniors.
Iolani junior setter Kanoe Kamana'o, left, has been a solid complement to senior outside hitter Ashley Elliazar.
"When I saw how young Iolani was, I was shocked," Hawai'i Prep coach Daena Craven said.
Setter/outside hitter Kanoe Kamana'o, defensive specialist Kristen Kutara and middle blocker Raeceen Woolford have been perfect complements for the three senior starters: outside hitters Ashley Elliazar and Blair Nonaka, and middle blocker La'akea Campbell. Two top reserves are also underclassmen: junior setter Jackie-Lyn Sasaki and sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Aratani.
Raiders coach Ann Kang credits offseason club play for the influx of younger players.
"There are so many of them playing club, so they're making varsity at a younger age," Kang said. "Before, only three or four girls (played club). Now, everyone on their teams plays, except for one or two girls."
• WHEN: Tomorrow through Saturday • WHERE: McKinley and Kamehameha gyms tomorrow; Blaisdell Arena Friday and Saturday • TICKETS: $7 adults, $5 students (50-cent fee added per ticket at Blaisdell) • TV/RADIO: KGU AM 76 and KFVE channel 5 will broadcast Saturday's championship at 8 p.m. live • POOLS: A—Iolani, Hawai'i Prep, Pearl City. B—Hilo, Lana'i, Wai'anae. C—Kahuku, Punahou, St. Joseph. D—Seabury Hall, Kaua'i, Kalani.
Playing almost year-round is the reason schools from relatively isolated areas can be competitive. Lana'i High, which travels by ferry to Maui and flies to Moloka'i for matches, starts two freshmen and a sophomore along with three seniors. Two top reserves are freshmen.
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Nissan Girls State Volleyball Tournament
Coach Ken Sabin said most of his players played for Wahine O Kauanaoa on Lana'i. That team finished third in 18-under United States Volleyball Association tournaments in Reno, Nev., and Davis, Calif.
Still, Sabin was skeptical at the outset of the season that his team would reach the state tournament.
"I was telling (the players), the main thing is we don't come in last (in the Maui Interscholastic League)," Sabin said. "But they kept winning and improving a lot. I was surprised."
Big Island runner-up St. Joseph starts four sophomores and a junior.
"Our kids' experience comes from clubs," Cardinals co-coach Rachelle Hanohano said.
Most of her players play for the YMCA/Na Opio club on the Big Island. Because of its affiliation with the YMCA, the club can stay at area YMCAs when traveling to the Mainland to cut costs. When the sophomores were sixth-graders, they won the national championship for that age group, Hanohano said.
O'ahu Interscholastic Association runner-up Kalani fields three freshmen and two sophomores among a mix of seven regulars. The fact that the field is young hasn't gone unnoticed by coach Tehani MIyashiro.
"We can't make that excuse that the other teams are older than us," she said.
Still, regardless of age, Iolani is the top seed for a reason.
"I've seen a lot of their players play in the offseason," Hilo coach Carla Carpenter-Kabalis said. "They're a great bunch of girls, very seasoned players. They play great together. They play as one. There is a lot of trust (in their play)."
Added Miyashiro: "They are really like students of the game."
Kang carries a relatively large squad. With 15 girls vying for playing time, practices have the intensity of a match.
"Our practices are very competitive," Kang said. "We have good rallies and good drills going. They challenge each other very well, which has helped raise the level of our play. Our assistants, Chris (Blake) and Rona (Kekauoha), do a good job, so the power of 18 (15 players and three coaches) has helped this year."
Notes: Three returning first-team all-state players are in the tournament: Iolani's Kanoe Kamana'o and Punahou's MIchelle Look and Puna Richardson. Honorable mention selections are: St. Joseph's Jazmin Paakaula, Hilo's Kahealani Silva and Kaua'i's Tiana Lum-Tucker. ... Three former University of Hawai'i Wahine players are coaching in the tournament: Iolani's Ann (Goldenson) Kang, Kalani's Tehani Miyashiro and Pearl City's Stephanie Shota. ... Hilo coach Carla Carpenter-Kabalis is a former UH-Hilo player.
SCHEDULE: Tomorrow at McKinley—Kaua'i vs. Seabury Hall, 1 p.m.; Kahuku vs. St. Joseph, 2:15 p.m.; Kalani vs. Kaua'i, 3:30 p.m.; St. Joseph vs. Punahou, 5 p.m.; Seabury Hall vs. Kalani, 6:15 p.m.; Punahou vs. Kahuku, 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow at Kamehameha—Hilo vs. Lana'i, 1 p.m.; Pearl City vs. Hawai'i Prep, 2:15 p.m.; Lana'i vs. Wai'anae, 3:30 p.m.; Hawai'i Prep vs. Iolani, 5 p.m.; Wai'anae vs. Hilo, 6:15 p.m.; Iolani vs. Pearl City, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Blaisdell—Pool A winner vs. Pool B runner-up, 3:30 p.m.; Pool C winner vs. Pool D runner-up, 4:45 p.m.; Pool B winner vs. Pool A runner-up, 6 p.m.; Pool D winner vs. Pool C runner-up, 7:15 p.m. Saturday at Blaisdell—Semifinals, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; third-place, 5:30 p.m.; championship, 8 p.m.
