Hurricanes Find Strength In Unity
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kapolei varsity player Marie
Nataniela dives for the ball.
See sports story on page 12.
Photo by Nathalie Walker, staff
photographer.
Should the Kapolei girls volleyball team’s Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division matches be without the ebb and flow that is usually the order of the day, it will be just fine with Hurricanes coach Naidah Gamurot.
“It’s still early, but we think we’ll be pretty consistent - we’ll play a level game,” said Gamurot, who was also Kapolei’s coach in 2003 and 2004 before taking last season off. “We really try to work on consistency. The peaks and valleys can be deadly - that’s the way volleyball is. It can be hard to get the girls back up (emotionally when in the down cycle), but these girls are strong on the court mentally and emotionally.”
For her part, Gamurot gained a new perspective in her season away from coaching, but could-n’t stay away from the Kapolei gym altogether, where she was a frequent observer of the Hurricanes’ contests. The one-time Minnesota State player also coached in North Dakota and Minnesota as well as Campbell before taking on the Kapolei program prior to the 2003 season.
“Now I understand what the parents go through (when watching a match),” she laughed.“I had a difficult time being a spectator.”
As the Hurricanes continue preparations for their league opener Aug. 30 at Leilehua, team unity remains a strength, according to Gamurot, who inherited 10 returnees from 2005 when Kapolei was coached by former Junior Varsity coach Pohai Lee.
“We’re still a young team, but they are an easy group to coach,” Gamurot said. “They’re open to coaching, and they’re focused on the team and helping each other out. Communication on the court is good, and we don’t have any ego trips. We can coach volleyball instead of attitude.”
Gamurot will look to develop a supporting cast around three key returnees from 2005 - sophomore outside hitter Marie Nataniela, sophomore middle hitter/setter Tehani Kaaihue and junior outside hitter Kaili Smith.
“Our leadership has been wonderful so far,” Gamurot said.“A lot of it extends from the parents. They’ve been very supportive.”
Nataniela “is a solid all-around player,” according to Gamurot.“We can play her anywhere. She’s very strong in the back court - her defense is good - and she’s a good server.
“Tehani prefers to play at (middle) hitter, but she will have to set for us and she’s willing to do that,” she continued. “Like Marie, she’s a solid all-around player with good skills. Kaili is very consistent, she’s a good server, and she’s very good on defense.”
Entering its fourth season with a senior class, the Hurricanes’ program has found solid footing with a bit of tradition now behind them. The Hurricanes posted winning seasons in 2003 and 2004 and made the OIA’s post-season last year before a first-round loss ended their season.
“One of the problems we had early on was that our players didn’t have role models,” Gamurot said. “It was brand new territory for us. It helps if they can see all the little X-factors, the non-volleyball things, that go into Varsity volleyball.”
The Hurricanes, who will be one of 30 teams taking part in this week’s Longy Okamoto (pre-season) Classic, play their first two regular-season games on the road. On the heels of the aforementioned encounter at Leilehua on Aug. 30, they travel to Pearl City for a much-anticipated match on Saturday, Sept. 3.
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