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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 6:40 p.m., Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Onipa'a wins 14-under national volleyball title

Advertiser Staff

The Onipa'a Volleyball Club won the 14-and-under club Gold (top) Division title yesterday at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Boys Championship in Minneapolis.

Onipa'a was one of more than 20 Hawai'i teams that competed in the event.

Onipa'a defeated Gigantes 14 M of Puerto Rico in the championship, 25-20, 25-21. Onipa'a beat Pitirres, another team from Puerto Rico, in the semifinals by 25-19, 25-21.

The club, which finished 12-0 in the tournament, has players from all around O'ahu.

"Just ecstatic. It's a great feeling," coach George Ehia said. "As coaches we just tell them to put their best effort forward and they did."

Ehia said his team returned just two players from last year, but the team has been practicing together since November. He said what gave his team confidence was that it had already defeated the Puerto Rican teams during pool play.

"I would say that it was a team effort all the way around," Ehia said.

The team members are Jeremy Carter (Damien), Gabriel Ching (St. John's in Kalihi), Kalanikoa Elders (Kamehameha), Michael Gomez (St. Joseph's in Waipahu), Daniel Hirata (Saint Louis), Justin Kealoha-Salvador (Kamehameha), Noah Puaala-Ortiz (Damien), Anthony Robinson (Wai'anae), Bronson Sagon (Word of Life), Reo Tafai (Kalakaua Intermediate), Jetson Yee (Maryknoll), and Donovan Nieves (Pearl City). No all-tournament team was named on this level.

Three other Hawai'i teams also advanced to Gold Division contention.

In the 17-under open division, Pali Black of Pacific Palisades, Calif., defeated Outrigger in the championship, 20-25, 25-22, 17-15. Outrigger, a team coached by University of Hawai'i women's coach Dave Shoji, advanced to the final by defeating 17's Gold of Canada in the quarterfinals, 25-19, 26-24, and Epic 17 Matt of Poway, Calif., 25-16, 25-23, in the semifinals. Outrigger finished 9-2.

"The boys are disappointed but happy. We had a good showing," Shoji said. "We don't get the opportunity to play other junior teams, so we had no idea how we'd stack up. Hawai'i volleyball is very good on the junior level. We're very competitive."

All the Outrigger teams played in the open division and had to either qualify or be selected.

Setter Erik Shoji, who will be a junior at Punahou, and outside hitter Brad Lawson, an Iolani junior, and opposite Reese Haine, a Mid-Pacific senior, were named to the all-tournament team.

In the 15-under club division, Ku'ikahi 15 RoShamBo beat Vaqueros of Puerto Rico, 32-20, 25-20, but lost to Pitirres of Puerto Rico in the championship, 25-17, 25-23. Ku'ikahi of Honolulu finished 9-1.

In the 15-under open division, Outrigger B15 lost to Pali Blue of Pacific Palisades, Calif., in the semifinals, 25-12, 25-18. Outrigger of Honolulu was 5-5.

There were teams in different age groups from Onipa'a, Kuikahi, Asics Rainbows, Pilipaa, and Outrigger.