It’s Mules V. Rams In Girls Volleyball
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usOne byproduct of moving from Division I to II is unfamiliarity with new opponents.
Leilehua head girls volleyball coach Larry Cantero can relate, noting the first he’d seen of Kaimuki was last week, when the Mules opened OIA White Conference play with a win over the Bulldogs.
But the second-year coach likes keeping the emphasis on his own team.
“I’m more worried about getting our own system going than what the other team is doing,” he said. “If we can learn our system, we can be a really good team.”
Leilehua was 3-9 last year in the Red, where it faced D-1 powers Mililani, Pearl City and Aiea. It also played Radford and will face it again this Wednesday, as the Rams also have moved down to the White Conference.
They meet again Sept. 29 at Radford - but it figures this one should be a key matchup, since the Rams went 5-7 last year versus DI competition.
“We’ll have to pass well and play our defense,” Cantero said. “Radford is a big team. They get the ball up and they play smart.”
The Mules are anchored by a pair of three-year lettermen in junior setter Krystin Kubo and senior middle blocker Tatiana Alailima. Both were starters a year ago.
“We look at them as our leaders. Krystin’s drive to win is her strength. She tries to keep morale up. She talks the most among the girls, and she’s our most experienced player at the varsity level.
“Tatiana puts up a good block,” Cantero said, “and she keeps us level-headed with her mental approach. She picks everyone up.”
Cantero also is high on a pair of freshmen - setter/outside hitter Kayla Kilaulani and outside hitter Ashlee Vaoifi.
“Kayla’s all-around game helps a lot,” he said. “Ashlee has a good vertical leap, although she is probably 5-5 or 5-6. She gives us outside power in the front row. They’re both up-and-comers.”
Cantero rates their defensive play ahead of offensive play for now. “I like our scrap-piness. We get the ball up and get it over. Right now, we’re trying to get our offense going. With only two returnees, we still need to learn the system.
“Against Kaimuki, we capitalized when we needed to. Right now we’re working on our passing. When we have momentum going, we pass well. When we don’t have it, we don’t pass very well.”
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