Lady Surfriders ‘Revamping’ For OIA Volleyball Playoffs
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usEven after winning 11 of their 12 regular-season games this fall, Kailua head girls volleyball coach Mani Yamaguchi took the approach that her team was still a work in progress during the nearly two-week layoff between matches.
“The break was a good thing to help us prepare for the playoffs,” said Yamaguchi, whose team plays either Waialua or Kaiser in an OIA Division II playoff game at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Kapolei. “We’re revamping our whole team.”
The Surfriders, whose only regular-season loss came to West champion Kapolei, is the top-seeded team from the East entering the tournament. With all six schools in the tournament having met each other at least once during the White conference slate, and in some cases twice, there are few secrets between them, so some fine-tuning is inevitable. For their part, a defense-first attitude prevails for Kailua.
“Conditioning and defense are mainly what we focus on,” Yamaguchi said.“I’m not too worried, offensively. Every kid wants to hit balls, but I’m the opposite.” While maintaining their consistency on defense will be key, she is looking for her girls to play faster when the ball’s on her team’s side of the net.
“We’ve been working a lot on our offensive plays, and we’ve started doing more quick plays. We want to switch it up for our hitters and for them to hit in a variety of sets. We want a quick offense.”
The Surfriders don’t lack in weapons, regardless of the scheme. Led by setter and senior captain Ka’u Kohatsu, Kailua has been able to use its balance to outlast its opponents.“She’s an awesome girl and a positive influence on and off of the court and in the community,” Yamaguchi said. “She’s also class president. She has a great attitude, and she’s athletic.”
Junior outside hitters Kayzsa Konohia and Makamae Recca also have enjoyed productive seasons, finishing off a number of plays with their consistent hitting.
“(Konohia) is an all-around player,“Yamaguchi said.“She’s versatile - she can play in the front or the back - and she can hit from wherever she is on the floor. (Recca) is a strong player and a great hitter and blocker.”
Yamaguchi also praised the play of middle hitter Ashlin Akau, opposite hitter Nycole Masaki and libero Jasmine Mahi-Beamer.
“Jasmine is very quick and persistent. Nycole is consistent in her setting, and she tries really hard. Ashlin is very powerful and a consistent middle (blocker). They all bring a lot to our program. The girls have pulled together on and off of the court.”
Should the Surfriders win Wednesday’s match, they’ll advance to an OIA semifinal at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Farrington. The DII championship game, which will be televised live on OC-16, is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at McKinley. The top three finishers in the OIA’s DII tournament earn the league’s berths for the state volleyball championships, which will take place Nov. 5-8 at Stan Sheriff Center.
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