Lo the latest in long line of top setters at BYUH

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Throughout her four-year varsity career at Mililani High School, Kaala Lo fielded questions from volleyball coaches and referees wondering how she could stay forever young.

Volleyball has always been a part of Kaala Lo (12), who attended her first practice the day after she was born when her father brought her to a Mililani High workout. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

There's no question that Lo has become one of Hawai'i's volleyball masterpieces, having been shaped by the state's best coaches while playing for the Asics Rainbows club teams, Mililani High and now for Brigham Young-Hawai'i.

Lo, a 5-foot-5 junior setter, guided BYUH to the NCAA Division II national championship last year and has established herself as one of the best homegrown volleyball players in the Pacific West Conference — a distinction that also could include Patti Hardimon, Kahala Kabalis and Valasi Sepulona of Chaminade; Piikea Dudoit of Hawai'i Pacific, and Kahealani Silva of Hawai'i-Hilo.

Lo, who leads the PacWest in assists (13.62) and aces (.60) per game, follows a tradition of award-winning setters at BYUH, including Bonnie Lelepali Blake (1986-88), Sheryl Hoopii (1991-92), Anik Valiengo (1991-92, 94-95) and Juliana Lima (1996-99).

"She's right up there with the best setters," BYUH coach Wilfred Navalta said. "We just have to wait until her career is over, then we can see. We have to see how many national titles she can lead us to."

"We just stuck her out in the bleachers (with her older sisters) and that's where she stayed," the father said. "Every year, she was always in the gym with us, fooling around, chasing balls, getting beaned and picking up skills here and there. By the time she was 9 to 10 years old, she was pretty skilled in playing the game."

"I was raised with the sport," Lo said. "When I was about the fifth grade, my parents started putting me into club teams. My parents basically taught me the skills. The clubs refined everything."

While playing with the Asics Rainbows, Lo learned from many standout coaches, including the University of Hawai'i's Dave Shoji, Charlie Wade and Howard Wallace. After she graduated from Mililani in 2001, she pondered joining the Rainbow Wahine, but she was not guaranteed a scholarship or playing time.

Lo said she wanted to play immediately and accepted a scholarship offer from BYUH. The only catch was that she had to switch from hitter to setter.

"When coach Navalta contacted me, he recruited me as setter," Lo said. "In high school, I was setting in the back row and I was a hitter in the front row. When I played on club teams, I was only a hitter. I didn't really have setting experience."

Despite that, Navalta said he was impressed with Lo's intangibles and homegrown pedigree.

"She was very athletic and I could see that she had a passion for the game," Navalta said. "She can serve, she can hit, she can block, she can do a lot of things despite her height. She makes up for it with athletic ability and smarts."

In her collegiate career, Lo has bonded with her international teammates. BYUH has two players from Taiwan (Chun Yi Lin, Yu Chuan Weng), one from Italy (Federica Tonon) and one from Brazil (Silvia Oliveira).

Lo said she conducts impromptu English quizzes with Lin and Weng, and they would do the same with her using Mandarin.

"They would quiz me everyday on our trips," Lo said. "I'd quiz them, too. If we go to Denny's or a restaurant, I'd have them read from the menu, just to better their English."

The quizzes are just another perk about playing for the Seasiders. Through it all, Lo said she's thrilled to be at BYUH.

"I really like it here," Lo said. "There's just something different about the atmosphere here. The spirit that the school has here, and the spirit that coach brings to our game and to our practices. It's really nice. We open with prayers, we close with prayers. It's kind of a different meaning to volleyball."

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.