Lady Bulldogs Ready For New Playing Level In White West
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWhether or not the Waialua girls volleyball team can be a factor in this fall’s OIA White Conference race remains unclear, but in attitude, the Bulldogs all get better-than-passing grades from coach Todd Cambonga.
“I’m excited about this team,” said Cambonga, who coaches both the girls and boys varsity teams at Waialua. “They all get along well, which isn’t always the case when you get a lot of girls together. We don’t have any dramas, and we’ve been together all summer, so we don’t expect any. They work well together, and they can all take constructive criticism. They’ve jelled as a team. We’re ahead of where we were at this time a year ago.”
Waialua went winless in 2009 in the OIA, but hopes are high this time around with a talented crop of underclassmen coming up. For the present, Cambonga is relying on leadership from seniors Christel Banis and Crissy Moniz to set the tone. Moniz is a setter, while Banis plays tall at middle blocker despite being undersized at 5-foot-4.
“She’s a leader by example,” Cambonga said of Banis. “She’s very dedicated and practices really hard. She’s willing to play any position we need her to play and ready to do whatever it takes.
“Crissy is the same way. She’s a really good leader. We have a lot of kids who have never played until they reach the ninth grade, and she’s real encouraging with the new girls.”
As in past years, Cambonga is focused on defense. “Because we’re usually a small team, we need to have that scrappy defense to be able to compete,” he explained. “Every year is a rebuilding year for us because we don’t have a lot of volleyball clubs in the area.”
With Waipahu and Kapolei moving up to Division I, the White West Division will now include Campbell, Leilehua and Nanakuli in addition to the Bulldogs. Waialua will play a home and away series with each, while meeting East schools (Roosevelt, Kaiser, Kaimuki, Anuenue) once.
“It looks even in the league. It’s anyone’s league. We just have to keep working hard.
Whoever plays with the most heart is going to do well.”
The Bulldogs open with a pair of home games, hosting Roosevelt Aug. 23 and Leilehua Aug. 25.
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