Kahuku’s Te’o Is VB Player Of Year
By Jack Danilewicz
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It isn’t easy to stand out on the Kahuku volleyball team. With back-to-back OIA Division I championships on their resume, not to mention a 31-5 overall record over the past two seasons, it’s fair to say the team is well-stocked at every position.
With that in mind, senior Nile Te’o's recent selection as the Red East’s Player of the Year can be attributed as much to her leadership as her athletic skill set, in coach Uila Fotu-Vendiola’s view.
“She’s a leader out there,” Fotu-Vendiola said. “She was a solid player throughout and had a remarkable year. Anytime you have someone playing well, it picks everybody’s game up.”
Led by Te’o, the team went 16-0 against OIA opponents, including the league’s post-season tournament, and finished the season 18-1 overall, with their only loss coming in the semifinals of the Division I state tournament. Kahuku finished third at the state tourney.
Fotu-Vendiola saw Te’o's award as a ‘team award,’ given the balance the Red Raiders displayed across their lineup. “If Nile’s not having her best game, we always know the others will step up,” she said.“The team and Nile both had great years.”
Te’o was joined by teammate Amanda Tonga as a First Team All-Star. All league selections are chosen by the conference coaches. A junior middle blocker, Tonga figures to be one of the top players in the league next year.
“We saw some great things from her (Tonga) this year, and she’s going to be one of our ‘go-to’ people next season,” said Fotu-Vendiola, who was named Coach of the Year in the East Red by her peers. “One of the things we’ll be looking to from her is for her to be consistent and dominant all of the time.”
Elsewhere in the Red East, senior Kiana Wasson was named to the Second Team from Kalaheo. The Mustangs also placed Brittany Belles, Carli Huihui, Mariah Sisi Panapa and Jowell Gueirrero on the Honorable Mention team.
In Division II, Kailua’s Kayzsa-Ann Konohia was selected as the East White Conference Player of the Year, after leading the Surfriders to a second-place finish in the OIA. Kailua followed up its solid season to place third at the DII state tournament last month, finishing 16-3 overall.
“The thing that stood out about her (Konohia) was her intensity and her physical-ness,” said Castle coach Brannan Bajet, who was selected as the White East’s Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to a 14-7 record and a state tournament berth.“She stood out as a consistent hitter.”
Senior Ashlin Akau and juniors Nycole Masaki and Jasmine Mahi-Beamer also were named to the First Team for Kailua, while Dancel Williams and Sherie Recca were Second Team selections. Lydia Linogon was the lone Surfrider to earn Honorable Mention.
Castle, which finished sixth at the state tournament last month, placed both Osana Aukuso and Malie Garcia on the First Team. “Osana was always a strong contributor,” Bajet said. “If she was off in one thing, she could produce in another. Malie is an upand-coming athlete. She’s still young, but she contributed a lot this year to our outside attack.”
Knights Malina Kekahuna and Hiilei Haru were both named to the Second Team. Castle’s Joshell Lilio, Erika Jarrett, Marcella Malufau and Jeanise Royos earned Honorable Mention.
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