Hawai'i stars lay foundation for Missouri Valley program
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Missouri Valley College is starting a men's volleyball program and coach Ed Johnson went to one of the richest sources of volleyball talent to stock his new roster — Hawai'i.
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So far, Johnson has signed four players from Hawai'i and he is negotiating with a couple more.
Outside hitter David Hoke helped Kamehameha win the state championship.
All-state hitters Rickey Estrada and David Hoke of 2001 state champion Kamehameha, both from Kailua, have signed scholarship agreements. So has Jacob Reis of Kalaheo, a first-team O'ahu Interscholastic Association East setter.
Estrada was a first-team all-state selection the past two seasons and was last fall's Interscholastic League of Honolulu co-Player of the Year.
He was considering walking on at Hawai'i or Cal State-Northridge, but "free school is hard to turn down," Estrada said. Missouri Valley's financial aid package will nearly cover the $15,000 he needs for tuition, room and board, he said.
Hoke, who was second-team all-state last season, said, "I planned on calling it quits after high school, but coach Pono (Maa) got a call from coach Johnson" looking for good players. Hoke said he will get 75 percent financial aid, leaving him $3,000 to pay, some of which can be earned in work-study.
Sophomore Wade Miura (Wai'anae '01) is transferring from Marycrest International of Iowa. He was the starting setter there but Marycrest is closing — not just the volleyball team, the entire college.
Johnson said he also has signed two All-Americans from Colorado.
Hoke convinced his girlfriend, Jennifer Katres, a volleyball and soccer player at Kalaheo, to go to Missouri Valley, too. Her friend, Kalaheo soccer all-star Lindsey Peck, also signed after the three made a visit to the campus in Marshall, which is 88 miles east of Kansas City.
Maa, last season's all-state Coach of the Year, said: "To see a program starting up when men's volleyball is losing schools, creates a great opportunity for our guys to play ball.
"David and Rickey are excited to be pioneers, and Missouri Valley has grabbed a couple of well-trained players who are ready to go. They should be able to step in right away and be competitive at that level."
The scholarship offers "made them feel like they're wanted," Maa said.
Finances, one of the reasons cited by some of the 23 colleges that have dropped men's volleyball since 1996, is one of the reasons Missouri Valley is starting a program, coach Johnson said.
"It adds 20 more students we wouldn't have had before," Johnson said, and that means more tuition and federal aid money for the college of 1,350 students. Not all get as much aid as Estrada and Hoke.
"There are other colleges in the area with teams so scheduling is easy," Johnson said. (Lindenwood, also a member of the Heart of America Conference, won the unofficial NAIA national championship last season).
ON THE LINE: There were 81 NCAA colleges and 20 NAIA colleges with men's volleyball teams this year. In the NCAA, 22 teams were in Division I and 18 in Division II, both of which are allowed to give financial aid for athletes; 41 of the NCAA teams were in Division III, which does not permit athletics-related financial aid. Even the D-I teams have to spread their scholarships, as they are allowed a total of 4 1/2 — not enough for a starting lineup. ... The NAIA does not officially sponsor a men's volleyball championship; Tachikara, manufacturer of volleyball equipment, puts on the NAIA tournament. ... Kamehameha coach Pono Maa is still tingling with pride over the NCAA Division I championship match between Hawai'i and Pepperdine. Three Kamehameha graduates were on the floor: Tony Ching ('99) of national champion UH and Pepperdine's Pono Kahale ('97) and James Ka ('00). Arist de Wolff (St. Louis '01) red-shirted at Pepperdine. ... De Wolff was among four 2001 Volleyball Magazine Fab-50 High School All-Americans from Hawai'i who were on Division I college teams this spring: Bryson Metz (Kamehameha) and Brian Zodrow (St. Louis) played learning roles at Pacific (Calif.). Metz got 18 kills in nine games and Zodrow got 38 kills in 25 games. ... 2000 Hawai'i High School co-Player of the Year Will Reppun (Punahou) was out for one-third of the season and hobbled for much of the time he played at Harvard with a sprained ankle. In the 46 games he played, Reppun averaged 2.3 kills and 2.02 digs.
