Lady Mustangs Regrouping After Loss Of VB Players
By Jack Danilewicz
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On the brink of the post-season, it’s all about momentum.
Indeed, when Castle and Kalaheo meet in volleyball at 6 p.m. Wednesday - their second meeting in seven days - the appeal of finishing the regular season on a winning note figures to be as important as securing neighborhood bragging rights.
After all, a year ago Kalaheo used a strong finish to its regular season as a springboard to capturing the school’s first-ever girls volleyball title, defeating Kaimuki in the OIA Division II title game. Should Kalaheo contend again this fall, its follow-up year will be made all the more impressive given that three players bowed out in-season, leaving the coaching staff to do a lot of fine-tuning.
“We’re going through some growing pains considering that we lost some people, but our game is starting to come together,” said Kalaheo coach Hoku Liu, who was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2006 after leading the Mustangs to an 11-4 overall mark.“Kids are kids, and we still have to learn some things. We’re trying to keep their noses to the grindstone.
“We’d like to have a good showing (in post-season) like last year,” she added.“We have the talent. It’s up to us to play the game.”
Kalaheo entered the weekend with a 6-4 record, its losses having come to McKinley (twice), Farrington and Castle, to date. Following Saturday’s re-match with Castle, the Mustangs have only an Oct. 10 match with Anuenue remaining in their regular season. The OIA playoffs begin Oct. 17.
Despite the unexpected loss of three players, Kalaheo is still heavy with play-makers as it looks ahead to the post-season. Middle hitter Sisi Panapa, setter Kaua Cale and outside hitters Kiana Wasson and Carli Huihui have all had a strong season.
“Sisi has been unstoppable with a good pass, and Kaua is doing well. She’s been learning the ropes at the varsity level. Kiana has always had the potential to be a good hitter, and we’re seeing that now. Some of the newer girls have also picked up fast.”
Offense has been Kalaheo’s forte to date collectively. “As always, we’re doing well there,“Liu said.“We have confidence in our offense and our setting. Our defense at the net has also been good, and we’ve worked intensely on our passing and defense.”
Veteran leadership and mental toughness played a big role in Kalaheo’s post-season run last year. Those areas have also been points of emphasis for Liu this season.
“We’ve been working on the mental aspect of the game. They have the skills, everyone has the potential to play really well, it’s (a matter of) getting mentally out of the rut. We’re trying to inspire them to bring 110 percent each time out.”
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