Sabers Volley On And Off The Court
By Jack Danilewicz
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While her roster is stocked with athletes, Campbell girls volleyball coach Kaui Alohikea-Betham won’t underestimate the Sabers’collective cohesiveness as they begin preparations for their 2008 season.
“Our strength is that they all work well together and they get along well together on and off of the court,” she said. “They all have the same desire. They all want the same thing - to have fun and win a championship.”
Campbell, which finished 8-5 overall last year in Division II, will move up to Division I this time around. While the competition figures to be stiffer, the Sabers bring back a veteran group as well as several talented newcomers who were a part of the JV team last year,which brought home an OIA championship.
“It’s a good year for us to move up,” said Alohikea-Betham, whose team opens its regular season Sept. 2 at home against Radford.“Right now, we have to gel with the new girls coming up.”
Early on, they will rely heavily on upperclassmen with returning seniors in Oli Kila, Ariel Medlin, Jazmine Brown and Randi Schoeing expected to man key positions in the lineup. Schoeing was an OIA White Conference First Team all-star at libero last year, while Kila, Medlin and Brown all earned Second Team honors.
“Randi has an unbelievable work ethic, and everything is about the team with her,” Alohikea-Betham said. “She controls the communication on the court and makes sure we’re all on the same page.”
Fellow senior Ashlyn Oliveros is also vying for playing time at libero, according to her coach, after a solid off-season.“They’re having a little try-out amongst themselves to see who will start there. I like Ashlyn’s commitment.She’s very determined.
“Kila is entering her fourth year in the program, but she’ll make the transition this fall from the middle where she played previously to outside hitter. Medlen is also an outside hitter while Brown is a middle blocker.
“Those three - Oli, Jazmine and Ariel - bring a lot of athleticism,” said Alohikea-Betham,who was chosen as the White Conference Coach of the Year last season.“Ariel will be our power hitter. She played club ball to get her skills down, and she’s improved her jumping and blocking ability.
“Jazmine will be amazing this year. Her (vertical) leap has gone up, and she’s aggressive in the middle. She’s committed to the game. She’s been playing club, too.”
Sophomores middle blockers Chelsea Wilson and Chantay Samante are among the newcomers moving up from JV who are expected to have an immediate impact.
The Sabers begin preseason play next week when they take part in the Longy Okamoto Invitational at both Aiea and Pearl City high schools.Pairings for the tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday, were to be finalized this week.
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