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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 12:42 a.m., Thursday, November 1, 2007

Preps: Small setters lead Seabury Hall

By Robert Collias
The Maui News

WAILUKU — The Seabury Hall girls volleyball team has plenty of firepower.

The Spartans — seeded second in the New City Nissan Division II State Championship, which began yesterday on O'ahu — can't use their remarkable depth on offense, however, without their two smallest players doing their thing first.

Anuhea Rilveria, a 5-foot-1 senior, and Keana Cramer, a 5-2 sophomore, basically split the setting duties down the middle for Seabury Hall (12-0). That allows Alex Bolduc, Kaipo Rocha, Kaimi Rocha, Leslie Smith and Yacine Meyer to take turns putting the ball on the floor.

Rilveria, who missed an entire year when she completely tore her ACL and meniscus in a state basketball tournament game as a freshman, is a mentor for the 14-year-old Cramer.

"She is an amazing setter,'' Rilveria said of Cramer to The Maui News. "We work together all the time. We help each other out in everything. I love working with her.''

Cramer said that Rilveria has made life easy for her.

"Anu has helped me so much,'' Cramer said. "I don't know if I could be on the team without her, because she is always there for me.''

Both are thinking state title, which would be a first for the Maui Interscholastic League in volleyball.

"Absolutely, everyone has been talking about it and believes that we can do it,'' Rilveria said. "Everyone is just behind us and it is just getting exciting and I can't wait until we actually get there.''

"State title is what everyone is thinking,'' Cramer said.

The Spartans will play today at 6 p.m. at the McKinley High School gym against Castle (11-6). After a loss in the quarterfinals last season on the way to a fifth-place finish, that first step is the big one for the Spartans.

"It is really important,'' Rilveria said. "If we get past this first game I'm pretty sure everything will fall into place, but the first game is always the most important.

"I think we are definitely more prepared this year. I think we have learned from last year's mistakes. We want to try to remember that and pull through this year.''

With eight seniors on the roster, the Spartans realize this is their year to shine.

"Since my freshman year, we have been together in everything we do — on the court, off the court,'' Rilveria said. "So it is a really big deal this year, finally our senior year. So hopefully we get to take it this year.''

This may be Rilveria's last, best chance at a state title, although basketball will also be on her to-do list when she gets back from the volleyball tournament.

"Coming back from my surgery was really tough for me,'' she said. "It was a really mental thing for me, but I got to build off that and come back strong this year. It has been working, the hard work I have been putting in. I was just so frustrated when I was rehabbing, so I had to put all of that frustration into motivation to help me get through it.''

Having Meyer and Bolduc — both former MIL players of the year — along with the Rocha twins and remarkable depth off the bench gives Rilveria an opportunity to set whomever is playing well on a given night.

"I am really confident,'' Rilveria said. "I have faith in everyone we put out there. I'm sure everyone will get done whatever they need to get done.''

Cramer said that when she steps on the floor, she has the same feeling.

"It was kind of intimidating at first, playing with all of the seniors,'' Cramer said. "All of the other girls playing are seniors and I am a sophomore, but now I am a lot more comfortable. I can go up to one of the girls and say, 'hit a four' and they will be like, 'OK.' Before, I was kind of scared to approach them.''

Coach Scottie Zucco is pleased with a No. 2 seed even though his team is ranked fifth in The Advertiser poll, behind four D-I teams from O'ahu. Hawai'i Baptist is the No. 1 seed in the D-II tournament. The Spartans' quarterfinal loss last year was against Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up Sacred Hearts, the eventual champion.

"I am definitely surprised in a good way,'' Zucco said. "Last year we came in as a four seed and we got smoked in the first round. I think that was a function of being a little too tight for that first round. I thought because of that we would be a three or four seed again. I imagine that a lot of the seeding is quite O'ahu-centric, as they set the bar for volleyball.''

"Our bracket seems to be real heavy and all the girls are excited that we have to play tough games,'' Zucco said. "That is the way we want it. If we get to the finals we are going to have to beat them anyway.''

If the Spartans reach the final, Zucco wouldn't be surprised to see Moloka'i, the MIL D-II runner-up, on the other side of the net. The Spartans have defeated the Farmers five straight times in the last two years, including in last season's fifth-place match at the state tournament. Moloka'i had two match points against the Spartans in the MIL tournament final last week before losing.

"I am excited for Moloka'i, especially because they are not in our bracket,'' Zucco said. "I took a look at the brackets and it looks like they have a good shot at getting deep into this tournament. We have played them five times in the last two years and every single time they get better and better and better. I'm kind of nervous if we have to play them again in the finals.''

No matter what, it all starts with the setters.

"Anu has been playing volleyball with these girls since she was 7 or 8 years old,'' Zucco said. "She is also doing a great job of leading, especially with Keana. She has kind of helped Keana shake off the worries of playing on a senior-led team. It has actually worked out great with the two setters running the team. We don't miss a beat with either one of them in there. Keana is a fantastic athlete and I am excited to see what she is going to become in a couple of years.''

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