Team Is Eager To Prove Its Ability
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWith its move to Division II this fall, expectations for the Waipahu girls volleyball team have only multiplied. The best preparation for Division II competition, after all, would seem to be a season in Division I.
“I’m convincing my team every day that we’re a Division I team playing in a Division II league,” coach Mary Ancheta said, “and that we really don’t belong here (in DII). Now we have to prove it.”
The Marauders finished 2-10 last fall in the ultra-competitive OIA Western Conference and bring back a solid nucleus of players from 2006. Waipahu opened its season last Wednesday with a 25-18, 23-25, 25-22 road win at Waialua. Matches with Thompson Academy and Kalaheo were to follow over the weekend. On Wednesday (Sept. 5), the Marauders travel to play familiar foe Nanakuli, which also was shifted by the league from Division I to Division II in the off-season.
While Waipahu may be a bit of a mystery to most of its first-round opponents,former DI rival Nanakuli figures to have a better than average feel for the Marauders’ tendencies. Ancheta also said her team would have to match Nanakuli’s effort.
“They’re persistent,” she said. “They keep on going.”
Through pre-season as well as its first game, Waipahu has relied on the veteran leadership of outside hitter/setter Kawehi Doo, setter Cardin Sugue and middle blocker Chastine Pinheiro.
Leading the way is Doo, who began her third varsity season last week. She is a two-time All-Conference selection.
“By performance, she’s a leader,” Ancheta said.“She plays a lot of club (volleyball), so her experience alone is important to us, and she’s probably one of the more consistent passers on the team. Because we have the potential for hitting power, she’s vital to us.
“With Cardin, it’s her knowledge of the game (that’s her strength). She has great setting ability.Chastine is steady as a middle blocker. She’s not flashy - silent but steady - she’s just consistent. She doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Ancheta also sees “up-and-coming” junior middle blocker Kelcey Viliamu playing an important role. “At 5-(feet)9, she’ll be one of our more powerful hitters and blockers. She’s solid in the middle. She’s a go-to person for us because she can finish - she’ll make the kill.”
Eligibility issues led to the loss of one projected starter, but the team’s interchangeable personnel have helped to keep them in sync.
“More so than in previous years, we’re more versatile and more powerful this season,“said Ancheta, who is in her second stint at the school, having coached the team from 1987 to 1994 before returning to the bench in 2003.
As in past years, passing has been the area of emphasis.“You can’t run an offense without consistent passing,” Ancheta said. “We practice it every day. We’re not progressing as fast as we would like, but we’re progressing. Talent-wise, we’re good.”
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