Kaiser Cougars Pack Together
By Jack Danilewicz
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Former Colorado and Northwestern football coach Gary Barnett popularized the adage that a good team needs “every player on the same heartbeat.”
Easier said than done, according to Kaiser head girls volleyball coach Ernest Noborikawa, who welcomed a Cougar team back in July with an interesting mix of under- and upperclassmen.
“It was a matter of bonding together and understanding and accepting their roles,” he said.“That was the biggest contributing factor for us. They learned to be team players, and that made us better. It’s a really close team at this point. It took awhile, but every month they became closer.”
The Cougars took an eight-game win streak into the Division II state volleyball championships late last week, having captured the school’s first-ever volleyball title Oct. 22 by defeating Castle in the OIA finals. While that was no small feat, the Cougars were not quite in the celebratory mode yet last week, as they hoped for a strong state tournament showing.
Noborikawa is in his first year as Kaiser’s head coach, but he’s been in the program since 2002, including the last four seasons as JV coach. He also coached most of his seniors since seventh grade through outside clubs and leagues, making for a smoother transition than usual.
If anything, timing has been on the Cougars’ side. “We’re peaking at the right time,” said Noborikawa, whose team took a 15-3 overall record into last week’s state tourney.
A pair of relative newcomers - freshman Nikki Taylor and sophomore Madison Perdone - helped drive Kaiser across the finish line in the OIA final with 21 and 19 kills, respectively. Both figure to be team leaders on next year’s team with veterans Kari Noborikawa, Arianna Ando and Sarah Epstein having completed their eligibility over the weekend.
“Nikki adapted well to playing with the older girls, and they accepted her,” he said.“Kids tend to be jealous (when a freshman starts right away) because they figure they’re going to lose playing time, so it was a matter of time.
“Madison has an endless passion for the game,” he added.“I sometimes think she goes to school to play volleyball. She’s our energized bunny rabbit on the team.”
He also praised the play of Epstein, whose serving runs of 11 and 15 in the OIA finals figured big for the team.“I call her the silent assassin. She doesn’t speak much; she leads by her actions. She’s a solid volleyball player, and she’s smart.”
Ando and Kari Noborikawa, the coach’s daughter, also have been steady performers this fall.
“Kari’s strength is her speed and her passing. She’s very consistent as our libero. She gets our offense going. Defense and hitting are Arianna’s (strengths). She’s only like 5-5, but she gets up above the net, and she’s one of the hardest hitters on the team.”
Sophomores Jolie Au and Haley Durham also have played beyond their years, earning regular places in the rotation.“Jolie just works really, really hard. She’s the only setter we’ve had all season. She never complains.
“Haley has a great work ethic also,” he added of Durham. “She hustles every play.”
Noborikawa credited his team’s depth with helping it reach the point of playing its best volleyball when it counts the most.
“The kids who weren’t in the starting lineup practiced hard, and that made us better,” he said. “It’s been a great team effort.”
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