If members of the Hawai'i Baptist Academy girls volleyball team look like they play well together, it's probably because they've had lots of practice.

And not just on the court.

With seven of the Eagles' 12 players — including five starters and two NCAA Division I recruits — having entered HBA in kindergarten, this is a tight-knit group that shares memories of having fun together long before their first spike, set or dig.

Memories of kickball, catching butterflies in the schoolyard, climbing the dinosaur jungle gym, playing Twister ...

"Oh, and I remember I knocked Taryn's tooth out," said junior defensive specialist/libero Jennifer Young, recalling a second-grade accident involving outside hitter Taryn Bohan. "I was trying to break up a fight, and I swung my arm out, and ... I don't know what happened?"

The seven "Daughters of HBA," as the school's former kindergartners are called, can easily fill in the blanks of many stories from their hanabata days, since they were witness to so many of the same events.

But the Eagles are creating even more memories this volleyball season, jumping to a 10-1 start in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu as they enter tomorrow night's showdown with perennial state power Punahou (10-1).

First serve is set for 7:30.

HBA — classified as a Division II program — already has slain one DI giant earlier this ILH season, stunning 'Iolani, 26-28, 25-19, 25-15. The Eagles also defeated Punahou (on points), 23-25, 25-17, to win the Silver Division of the Ann Kang Invitational, finishing higher than any Hawai'i school — except 'Iolani — in the field laden with strong Mainland teams.

HBA is ranked No. 5 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, for which all teams are eligible regardless of division.

That the Eagles have ascended to such heights with virtually all "homegrown" talent is a point of pride at a school that claims to have neither recruited any athlete nor awarded a single athletic-based scholarship since joining the ILH in 1962.

"It keeps us in line with the school's mission," said HBA athletic director Deren Oshiro, who said he is not involved in the admissions process. "We want to keep athletics in perspective."

Girls volleyball coach Myles Shioji said his players understand that perspective because they were Hawai'i Baptist students long before they were Hawai'i Baptist volleyball players.

"It's something to be proud of," Shioji said. "HBA is known as a good academic school, and the girls foremost want to be known as good students, before being known as good athletes."

But around the ILH and beyond, the Eagles are known as one of the best defensive and ball-handling teams in Hawai'i. With no player over 5 feet 10, HBA relies on aggressive serves and a relentless defense to neutralize taller opponents. The Eagles force a lot of long rallies, which often end with the other team making the first mistake.

"They're a great defensive team, a great team in general," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said, after his Warriors escaped with a 25-23, 28-26 victory over HBA on Sept. 16. "They have great ball-control, maybe the best in the state."

The Eagles are no slouches on offense, either, with junior outside hitters Sarah Palmer, C'era Oliveira and Bohan providing well-placed kills from all angles and sophomore setter Kayla Kawamura keeping opponents guessing. And of course, it all starts with the clean dig/pass, which libero/defensive specialist Kelly Chang often comes up with.

All five players, along with Young and junior defensive specialist/libero Kelsey Hamano, are Daughters of HBA.

Chang, a senior, has made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Nevada next season, and Palmer said she has accepted an offer to play for Texas starting in 2010.

Many of the Eagles began their volleyball careers via PAL or club leagues, but most also participated in Hawai'i Baptist's "extramural" program for fifth- and sixth-graders under coach Rhona Halmos. The Eagles challenged other small religious schools.

That was the start of a volleyball chemistry that is paying off at the varsity level today.

"We have a lot of fun on the court with each other, and we play for each other," Chang said.

And when times get rough?

"We have a lot of inside jokes," Bohan said.