Trojan Balance Could Tip Playoffs
By Jack Danilewicz
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Should Mililani head volleyball coach Val Crabbe need to offer her team any more proof that anything can happen in the post-season, she’ll likely call on Leilehua’s football run of last fall to make her point.
“It’s a clean slate,” said Crabbe. “In football, Leilehua finished fifth in the West and they won the state. That’s pretty awesome - it’s unheard of. It (the playoffs) is a new season, and it depends on who shows up.”
Like Nolan Tokuda’s 2007 Leilehua football team, the Trojans have the benefit of entering the post-season having already endured the ultra-competitive OIA West conference schedule, not to mention a preseason schedule that saw them play all the state’s highest profile programs outside of their own league.
“It was tiring,” Crabbe admitted of the grind that saw the Trojans play six matches in 10 days to close out the season before an 11-day layoff.“We’re regrouping now. We were able to take a break; at the same time, we consider ourselves into our third season. There’s the preseason, the regular season and the post-season. That’s our approach.”
The Trojans’ “third season” begins Thursday at Kahuku, where they meet the winner of a first-round OIA game that was to be played on Wednesday. Mililani earned the second seed out of the West following a 9-3 regular season. The Trojans lost both matches to Aiea, the West regular-season champion, and split the season series with Pearl City. Otherwise, the Trojans were perfect, taking the two-game season series from all four of their other West opponents. The experience of high-pressure matches can only bode well, according to Crabbe, who pointed out the balance in the league this fall.
“Last year, a 9-3 record won the West - this year we have the same record and we tied for second,” she said. “Aiea has done a great job. They weren’t that competitive last year, and to come back as they have says a lot for them, and they have a young team.”
For their part, the Trojans will depend on their growing cohesiveness in the post-season. All 11 members have played big roles in their season’s success.
“It’s truly been a team effort - not too many teams are playing that many (kids regularly),” Crabbe said. “We have a couple of standouts, but it’s when the other girls are stepping up and everyone is contributing that it works for us. When two are having a bad day, there are usually other people to carry the load.
“When we played Aiea the second time, it was a great match,” she added. “It could have gone either way. Everything kind of clicked for us, and we had four players in double digits (with kills).” Seniors Candace Soares, Nalani I, Mariah Choo, Tiare Barroga and Oli Freitas have led the way for Mililani, while their rotation also features juniors Janine Orosco, Nicole Namoca, Kelsie Cornelio, Pomai Grube-Hose, Jenna Wakatake and Dayna Meikle.
While short in the height department, Mililani’s net play has been a strength so far, and Crabbe is hoping that can continue this week.“When our block shows up, our defense is good,” Crabbe said. “We don’t have that many weapons as far as attacking, so we rely on it. Our serving has also been pretty consistent.
“Aiea and Pearl City are very strong defensive teams. The ball keeps coming back (to them). Our biggest asset is the block. That helps our back court out.”
The winner of Wednesday’s match advances to a semifinal match on Tuesday (Oct. 21) at a site still to be determined. The top six finishers in the OIA playoffs earn automatic berths to the upcoming Division I state tournament, which will take place Nov. 5-8 at Stan Sheriff Center.
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