Castle Knights ‘Not Tall But Scrappy’
By Jack Danilewicz
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The Castle girls volleyball team’s first goal on game night is always to make sure the Knights are not undone from within.
“We have to avoid beating ourselves,“Castle coach Brannan Bajet said, “because in our league, anyone can beat anyone on any day.”
The Knights, who took a 2-1 record into the weekend, return to action Wednesday with a key match at 6 p.m. at McKinley and then will have an open date Saturday to catch their breath as mid-season approaches. Although still in the early stages of a 12-game Division II Oahu Interscholastic Association schedule, every win will go a long way toward the Knights’ post-season hopes.Castle and McKinley were to play Saturday before Wednesday’s rematch.
“We watched McKinley in their preseason tournament,and they had a big squad of almost 30,“Bajet said. “A lot of their girls play (in) outside (leagues), which is good.”
For Bajet, the early weeks of the season have been about developing consistency among his players.“It’s an up-and-down scale that we play on - we’re consistent in that we play with consistency,” said Bajet, who is in his second year as the Knights’ coach. “We show two teams out there. We’re either consistently good or consistently bad.
“We have to become perfect in the way we play our game - and we have to be able to correct our mistakes.”
In the leadership department, however, the Knights have been steady this fall, according to Bajet. With seniors Kelsie Bajet, Chantalle DeLa Courture,Keawe Aolahiko and Alana Abbey back in the fold, the team opened fall camp with one of its more experienced squads in years.
Kelsie Bajet, who is the younger sister of the Castle coach, leads the way as a setter/outside hitter.
“The girls look up to her court awareness - that’s her strength,” Brannon Bajet said of Kelsie.“She’s really aggressive, so just her presence on the court is important.”
DeLa Courture “is one of our strongest servers,“meanwhile.“She’s really improved on her serving, and she brings height and aggressive blocking to the team.
“Keawe will do anything to help the team. She has quickness and an ability to sacrifice her body. Alana brings character to the team, and as a player she’s one of our more consistent players.”
Farrington transfer Osana Ausuko has also made her presence felt for the Knights. The junior has settled into Castle’s rotation as an outside hitter.
“The girls like the way she plays,” Bajet said. “For her first year (at Castle), she brings a lot of attitude. She aggressive - she really wants to win - and the girls like the way she plays.”
Collectively, the Knights “aren’t very tall, but we’re a scrappy team,” said Bajet, noting that his lineup averages only 5-foot-6.“Serving is our strength. We’ve become consistent there, and we’re balanced. We’re strong on offense and defense.”
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