Home Grown Notes

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

BYU (Utah)

Uila Crabbe was state Player of the Year and a Volleyball Magazine All-American for Kamehameha's state and nationally ranked champions in 1999, but she was not offered a major Division I scholarship because she is 5 feet 7.ææ

So Crabbe walked on at Brigham Young and proved she belonged during a 13-match win streak late last season. She has started all 19 matches this year at back-row specialist (her 2.5 digs per game rank seventh in the Mountain West Conference) and is the backup setter.

"She is the main person in our passing rotation," says coach Elaine Michaelis of the 16th-ranked, 15-4 Cougars. Crabbe leads BYU in service aces; last weekend she served four with no errors.

She still doesn't have an athletic scholarship. Instead, Crabbe won a prestigious Bill Gates Scholarship, Michaelis said, freeing up a volleyball scholarship for another player.

Western New Mexico

Kim Tano, Noe Burgess and the Western New Mexico team are flying into Hawai'i this week, literally and figuratively.

The Mustangs fly from New Mexico to finish their season with five matches in six days in the islands: at Brigham Young-Hawai'i Friday, Chaminade Sunday, Hawai'i Pacific Monday and UH-Hilo Tuesday and next Wednesday.

Western New Mexico is flying on a six-match win streak and Tano is flying high as PacWest Conference Player of the Week and Most Valuable Player of last weekend's Mississippi University for Women Tournament.

Outside hitter Tano (St. Francis) and setter Burgess (Sacred Hearts) are true freshmen.

In six matches last week, including two victories over Chaminade, Tano averaged 4.5 kills and 3.7 digs per game. She had four double-doubles in kills and digs, and was one kill and two digs short of having six double-doubles.

Burgess also was chosen on the all-tournament team in Mississippi, where she averaged three digs per game. She is third in the PacWest with 10.9 assists per game and has 39 aces.

"They are off to a flying start," coach Jim Callender said. "They have contributed in every match and they will have great careers here."

Rutgers (New Jersey)

At the end of last season, Rutgers coach Ann Leonard-House told then-freshman Casey Castillo (Kamehameha '00), "We need you on the court all the time, not just as a defensive specialist. You're a very intelligent player and a great athlete and you need to find a way to be in our starting lineup."

Castillo, an all-state member of Kamehameha's 1999 state and nationally ranked championship team, accepted the challenge.

She earned a starting role on the right side and came into her own when she was moved outside. Last week, Castillo had three straight double-doubles in kills and digs — a total of 43 kills and 36 digs in 10 games — as Rutgers (13-4) ran its home win streak to 17 matches.

At match-point Sunday against Virginia Tech, Leonard-House told Castillo: "Jump serve."

"Jump?" Castillo asked. So Castillo served her fourth ace of the night.

Megan Edwards (St. Francis '97) of Kaimuki is an undergraduate assistant for Rutgers. She walked on and earned a full scholarship after her freshman year as a utility player. Last season, she was second on the team in kills and digs.

Mesa State (Colorado)

The move of Kahala Kabalis (Moanalua '01) from setter to outside hitter paid off last weekend when she got 26 kills in two victories that lifted Mesa's record to 13-12. Kabalis of Hilo also contributes 3.1 digs per game and leads Mesa in service aces with 23.

Left-handed sophomore Rosa Masler (Maui '00) starts on the right side; she has 51 blocks in 79 games and averages 2.4 digs.

In addition to Kabalis, two other members of Moanalua's 2000 OIA championship team are starting as freshmen. Jennifer Narimatsu is starting setter for Trinity Christian College in Chicago and was named to the National Christian College Athletic Association North Central Region all-star team. Naomi Edgell has started at both left- and right-side hitter for Southern Colorado "and has been one of our most steady players," coach Tom Shoji says. "She has a very bright future here."

William Woods (Missouri)

Freshman Heather Roberts (Kaua'i '00) of Koloa was chosen American Midwest Conference Setter of the Week Oct. 7. Woods is showing the NAIA conference some Island sizzle; she already has 66 service aces in 118 games and made only 14 service errors. She averages 2.61 digs and 9.42 assists per game.

MEN'S SOCCER

Gonzaga

Senior ZachææScott'sææhatæætrick Oct. 21 (Homegrown Report Oct.ææ24) earned him a place on Soccer America magazine's national Team of the Week. Scott is a 1998 Maui High graduate.

Seattle Pacific

When the 21st-nationally ranked (Division II) Falcons seemed to lose their scoring touch, coach Cliff McCrath moved the starting keeper to the field and junior Adrian Cravalho (Kamehameha '99) of Mililani got his big chance at goalkeeper. Cravalho delivered, making six saves in his next 83 minutes, including two game-saving stops in overtime during a trip to Texas. He shared a shutout Sunday and has a goals-against average of 1.03 and an imposing 80 percent save record. The other half of the switch worked, too. Seattle Pacific has scored 11 goals in its last three games.

Willamette (Oregon)

Junior Michael Semenzaæ(Punahou '99) scored the tying and winning goals in a 3-2 victory over Whitman (Wash.).

Coach Jim Tursi says Semenza is teased a lot when "on our beautiful fall days when it is 65 and sunny he is bundled up like it's 10 below. ... He is a pleasure to coach and just be around and he is always ready to do whatever we ask of him."

GOLF

Lewis & Clark (Oregon)

Freshman Mari Kotake (Punahou) won the Northwest Conference Women's Fall Golf Classic by eight strokes with 82-82—164 at Blue River, Ore.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Saint Mary's (California)

Sophomore defender Chelsea Montero (Kamehameha 2000) of Mililani was picked on Soccer Buzz magazine's Elite Team of the Week for her "backline play (that) kept Pepperdine scoreless, handing the Waves their first loss, and held high-scoring Santa Clara in-check in a 1-0 loss."

Fresno State (California)

Sophomore midfielder Erin Sayegusa (Kaiser '00) is coming home on a roll. Sayegusa has scored all three of her goals in the last two games, including the game-winner against San Jose State Thursday. She scored twice in a double overtime victory over Nevada and leads Fresno State in scoring with nine points. The Bulldogs play Hawai'i at 4 p.m. Saturday at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

FOOTBALL

Central Washington

Waimea High vice principal Pat Pereira, who coached Waimea to five Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation football championships and 14 track and field championships, was inducted Saturday into the Central Washington U. Athletic Hall of Fame. Pereira was an all-conference guard at Central in 1969 and 1970.

Santa Ana (California, community college)

Chad Kalilimoku (Roosevelt), a 6-foot, 235-pound sophomore linebacker, led the Dons with 12 tackles, nine of them unassisted, in a loss to Saddleback. Kalilimoku was a preseason All-American pick by JC Grid Wire.

CROSS COUNTRY

Gonzaga (Wash.)

Junior Mark Bridenstine (Mililani '99) is described by coach Kevin Swaim as a "model student athlete" with a 3.78 grade-point average as a pre-med student, voted Outstanding Performer by his teammates last season, and is usually Gonzaga's second- or third-place finisher. He was 32nd in Saturday's West Coast Conference championship race (24th last year).ææ

In other conference championship races Saturday, Annie Kawasaki of Portland State (St. Francis 2001/Pac-Five) was the sixth freshman and 24th overall in the Big Sky, and San Jose State sophomore Robby Phillip (Mililani '00) was 32nd in the WAC.

Correction: Megan Edwards is an undergraduate assistant for Rutgers. An incorrect last name was given in a previous version of this story.