At 4 feet 9, Higa finds her niche in college volleyball

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Every female volleyball player aspiring to a college career would love to have the body of Kim Willoughby, the University of Hawai'i's two-time All-American.

University of Hawai'i All-American Kim Willoughby and Tara Higa of Pacific Union College in California talk volleyball story at the Stan Sheriff Center while Higa was home on holiday break this month. Higa is 15 inches shorter than Willoughby, but she has found a niche in a tall girls' game. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Take Tara Higa, a 2002 'Aiea High School graduate.

Higa is 4-feet-9. On a tall day.

She is 15 inches shorter than Willoughby.

But Higa has made her presence felt on the courts of the NAIA's California Pacific Conference. She plays defensive specialist and occasionally setter for Pacific Union, a 1,700-student college located in Angwin in the Napa Valley.

"If Tara were 6-feet tall — even 5-8 — she would rule the world," says Pacific Union coach Herschel Sandler, who himself was a 5-foot-6 setter at Cal State-Fullerton.

"She is an excellent passer, a good server, and an excellent player — a really exceptional young lady," Sandler said.

With Higa contributing 2.6 digs per game in her back-row role, Pacific Union had its best season in history last fall, winning its first Cal-Pac Conference Northern Division championship with an 8-0 record.

In a crucial victory over Simpson, "I believe Tara Higa made the difference," Sandler said. "Our goal was to off-balance Simpson with tough serving, and Tara delivered four aces, and accounted for numerous overpasses and free balls for us."

She led her team with 12 digs.

"She's such a little stud," says Pacific Union spokeswoman Michelle (Konn) Rai, a Hawai'i native. "She digs everyone and passes really well. Freshmen seldom make or break matches but Tara has made matches for us."

Higa, who was a setter in her senior year at 'Aiea, says, "I knew I could not play for a Division I school, but coach Sandler encouraged me when I went for a visit."

"One of the beauties of volleyball," Sandler says, "is that once the ball is on your side of the net, you have total control. Height is no longer a factor.

"In other sports — basketball and football — the other teams end up on your side.

"In a world full of dominant tall players, an avenue of opportunity is there for the small player to come in and make a difference on the court," Sandler says.

Besides, he says, Higa plays tall. "She can get both hands over the net when she jumps. She blocked our 6-2 middle hitter in practice one day," he said.

She is the shortest player on her team by 7 inches, Sandler said.

The level of volleyball at Pacific Union is small, small-college, no Cal-Pac team has ever reached the NAIA final four, "but it's a faster pace than high school," Higa says.

She did not select Pacific Union because of volleyball, however. Higa is a pre-veterinary major and liked its animal science program. "It's a nice place," she said.