Na Ali‘i Struggle Back After Layoff
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usAs the Aiea boys volleyball team begins its bid for an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II championship this week, Na Ali’i figure to be battling more than just tough competition from the opposition.
In a sense, Na Ali’i also will be battling themselves as they try to shake off a long layoff between matches, according to head coach Erin Okamoto Coker.
“It’s a bad thing for us,“said Coker of what will amount to a 13-day break between the end of the regular season and this week’s OIA first-round playoff match.“My boys are getting antsy. It can hurt you if you don’t play up to your capabilities.”
Aiea won its last two regular-season matches, the final of which was a 25-20, 30-28 win over Waialua Oct. 11, to seize some momentum en route to earning the second seed from the West for the OIA Tournament this week. Na Ali’i have never won an OIA title, but captured their first Division crown in 36 years of boys volleyball play in 2005 when they won the West.
So hopes are high this week. A win over Kailua on Tuesday would move them into a semifinal match Wednesday against either Waipahu or Kalani. Aiea must win two of three matches this week to earn one of the OIA’s three berths for the upcoming Nissan Boys State Volleyball championships. The OIA DII title game is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Farrington High School, while the third-place game will take place at 3 p.m. this Saturday at Kaimuki. The league’s top three finishers advance to the state tournament.
“Having that banner (for winning the West in ‘05) up from last year is a compliment to this team,” said Coker, who has a handful of holdovers from her 2005 team. “They’d like another one. We have six seniors and six underclassmen, and right now, it (a strong post-season run) is more important to the upperclassmen.We’re still trying to get them to the same level (of interest).”
Coker is counting on seniors Pili Taitan and Derrick Rabino to lead the way, as well as junior Keli’i Aleaga and sophomore Randy Bautista.
“We’re asking a lot more of our seniors right now,” Coker said.
Aiea’s Tuesday match with Kailua figures to be their biggest match of the year, as a loss would eliminate them from the OIA Tournament, not to mention a chance at a state tournament bid. While Na Ali’i won the regular-season meeting (25-21,25-16) between the teams Oct. 5, Coker was anticipating a tough match from the Surfriders.
“Our scores were really close with them, and we always talk about not taking anything for granted,” Coker said.“Anyone can defeat anyone. We know how they play, and they know how we play. Our offense has to play smart. They’re the type of team that can beat you if you’re not hitting well. They’re a small team, but they did pretty well.”
Aiea’s mind-set has always been one that emphasizes defense first, an approach that won’t change this week, according to Coker.
“We practice serve-receive every day because it’s the area that causes problems for teams the most. If you can’t pick up the ball, you can’t hit. We’ve been working at being aggressive every play. We’ve been picking up our defense - we’re in the right position.”
To help combat the long layoff between the regular season and the tournament, Coker has welcomed back former players to practice.
“We’ve had a lot of help with the graduates coming back (to campus),” she said. “We’ve scrimmaged a lot, and that’s helped to keep us up to par. The seniors want it bad.”
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