The Homegrown Report
Kamehameha grad Kimball returns 'home'

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Kimball's hot streak Kea Kimball's last four matches: Oct. 19 vs. San Diego: 10 kills, 16 digs, 10 blocks Oct. 20 vs. Saint Mary's: 14 kills, 15 digs, 4 blocks Oct. 26 vs. Gonzaga: 11 kills, 10 digs, 2 blocks, 4 aces Oct. 27 vs. Portland: 15 kills, 11 digs, 2 blocks, hit .565

Not home in Kaunakakai, Moloka'i, but "home" at middle blocker, where she was an All-American for nationally ranked volleyball champion Kamehameha in 1999.

When Kimball walked on at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles last year, "we moved her to outside (hitter) because of her size," coach Steve Stratos said. "The middles we play against are real big."

Kimball is listed on Loyola's roster at 5 feet 11, but admits she is "probably 5-9fl."

"It's a different kind of arm swing at outside hitter, and she was struggling," Stratos said.

Said Kimball: "It was frustrating for me."

But Loyola had problems in the middle, too, so Stratos made a double switch at the start of the West Coast Conference season and moved Kimball to middle blocker.

"I'm back at home," Kimball said. "I have the mentality of a middle."

"Kea is really ripping it up since we put her in the middle," Stratos said. "She's very quick and very athletic. She can run antenna to antenna against the bigger middles and drive them crazy running all over."

Loyola has won four WCC matches in a row, including an upset of then-WCC unbeaten San Diego Oct. 19, when Kimball had 10 kills, 16 digs and a career-high 10 blocks and was the key to holding the Toreros to a .138 hitting percentage.

She followed the triple-double against San Diego with three straight double-doubles and in 14 games during the win streak, Kimball had 50 kills, 52 digs and 18 blocks.

"She can touch 9 feet 11 on an approach jump," Stratos said. "She flies."

Kimball hit .468 in last weekend's two matches and was runner-up for WCC Player of the Week.

"The middles I play against are all 6-1 or 6-2 so everything I do has to be faster," said Kimball, who was awarded a scholarship last spring semester. "I have to do my footwork and get up fast and early."

It's working. Prior to the WCC season, Kimball was hitting .164. After nine conference matches, she ranks third in the WCC with a .355 average.

She's fifth in blocks at 1.03 per game, sixth in digs at 3.41 and ninth in kills at 3.62.

"The rest of her game, even her serving, has picked up (four aces against Gonzaga)," Stratos said. "And she is a primary passer as well. ... It all correlates directly to the success she's having at the net."

Stratos added: "Her smile has come back. It's contagious and great for the team."

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The Hawai'i Homegrown Report, a staple in The Honolulu Advertiser from 1988-98, appears every Wednesday.

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