Campbell Looks Toward Playoffs At Start Of Season
By Jack Danilewicz
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A long regular season may still lie ahead, but the Campbell girls volleyball team doesn’t mind getting into the playoff mind set.
“It’s a matter of being on the same page,” coach Kaui AlohikeaBetham said. “We all have the desire to be in the top four.”
A top-four finish in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference would earn the Sabers a berth in the league’s playoff next month, of course, but there is much work still to be done, according to Alohikea-Betham. Campbell, which opened its OIA White Conference schedule with losses to Farrington and McKinley, visits Nanakuli at 6 p.m. Wednesday in what figures to be its biggest match to date. Over the weekend, the Sabers were to play defending DII OIA champion Kalaheo in another key encounter.
The outcome of those two matches could go a long way in setting the tone for the rest of the Sabers’ season.
“It should be an amazing game with Nanakuli,” Alohikea-Betham said. “They’re a good team. They’re very quick on their feet, and they’re an awesome defensive team. They can win on defense alone.”
For their part, the Sabers have relied on their veteran leadership, which begins with senior outside hitter Vaiolagi (pronounced Vaiolani) Confer.
“It’s a coach’s dream to have a kid who can carry the load of the team,” Alohikea-Betham said. “Her strength, No. 1, is her leadership. She’s a good role model, very positive, an honors student. She’s always emotionally involved in the game - she has a passion for it - and she loves to compete.”
The Sabers also feature plenty of athleticism in seniors Amber Kaulia and Aloha Dias-Kekahuna in addition to junior Oli Kila. All three joined Confer on Campbell’s basketball team, which finished as the OIA Division II runner-up last spring.
“We have wonderful blockers,” Alohikea-Betham said. “Most of them are basketball players. That’s an advantage we have.
“Amber is another team leader, although she is quiet and shy. Oli is an all-around athlete, who’s always willing to learn. Aloha is the scholar-athlete of the team. She’s a smart player who looks for the holes (in the defense).”
The Sabers received an added boost last week when senior Anuhea Yamaguchi was cleared to play after being slowed for three weeks with a knee injury. She could be in the lineup versus Nanakuli this Wednesday. In her absence, Roosevelt-transfer Tiffany Suliven had filled the void and could see her role expand in the coming weeks. AlohikeaBetham is also high on sophomore Jasmine Brown.
“She’s worked her way off of the bench,” Alohikea-Betham said. “She has a lot of desire.”
With their collective athleticism an obvious strength, passing has been a point of emphasis recently.
“We have some big hitters, but we’ve struggled with our passing. We have to get our offense running smoothly and take advantage of them (hitters). It’s correctable. We spend about an hour a day in practice just working on passing drills. It’s a matter of making small adjustments and applying them every time.”
Saber Notes: Alohikea-Betham is the fourth member of her family to hold the head varsity volleyball job at Campbell.
She was preceded by her uncle Joel Kauihou, aunt Loke Huddy and sister Laura Range. Her mother, Evelyn Alohikea, also was an assistant coach at the school. . . Current Nanakuli coach Pedro Velasco Sr.‘s son, Pedro Jr., was an assistant coach at BYU-Hawaii when Alohikea-Betham was a player at the Laie college . . .
Campbell still has regular-season matches remaining with Waipahu (away, Sept. 15), Waialua (Sept. 19), Nanakuli (away, Sept. 29), Waipahu (Oct. 3), Castle (Oct. 6), Waialua (away, Oct. 10) and Anuenue (Oct. 13).
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