Mustangs Look Good, Stay Alert
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usAs the Kalaheo boys volleyball team moves into the second half of its regular season, the Mustangs’ greater task might be fending off complacency. While there is plenty of talent to be found in the opposition throughout its Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division slate, Mustang coach Gavin Cook knows it all comes back to his own team.
“I don’t worry as much about adjusting to the other team,” said Cook, whose players took a 6-0 record into the weekend. “We try to take our game to the other team.”
The two-time defending OIA champions have been hitting their stride of late, especially in a 25-9, 25-18 win over McKinley on Sept. 12, which Cook described as “our best game of the year.”
On Wednesday (Sept. 20), the teams meet again at Kalaheo in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. With the post-season set to begin in October, the Mustangs are hoping to build on their momentum this week, as well as complete a regular-season sweep of the Tigers.
“I had an idea (in pre-season) of how good we could be because we have a lot of athleticism, but our volleyball skills were still raw,” said Cook, who is in his first year as Kalaheo’s head coach. “(Lately) they’ve really impressed me.We had 16 aces against McKinley, and our hitting percentage was at 800. We were up 18-3 in the first game. Since that game, we’ve been rolling.”
Kalaheo had lost several stand-outs to graduation from last season, but has managed to remain in stride this fall behind key returnees Chase Moses, Tyler Caswell and Clifton Pires. A solid supporting cast centers around Timothy Moyer, Pono Wong and sophomore setter Christian Kepa.
“Everyone’s been clicking; the whole team has been coming together,“Cook said.“They feed off of each other. They’re feeling comfortable on the court, which is good. They’re relaxed and just playing. Hopefully, we can keep it up.”
As in recent years, a fast-paced, efficient offense has been one of the Mustangs’ trademarks.
“We’re trying to run a fast offense, and taking care of the ball has been huge for us,” Cook said. “They’ve cleaned up the sloppiness. We’ve been attacking on the serve, and that sets up the rest (of their game).”
While the Mustangs made it through their first tour of the East unscathed, Cook and the Mustangs aren’t taking anything for granted in the second round.
“It was difficult the first time around - we lost our first game (20-25) against Roosevelt and had to go three games, and we got beat by Kaimuki (30-28 in a match Kalaheo won 20-25, 25-18, 25-21),” Cook said, also noting a tough match with Castle, which the Mustangs won 26-24, 25-18 in their opener on Aug. 31.“There are a lot of good athletes in the East. Stars leave, but new ones keep popping up. Volleyball is a tough sport, and anyone can beat anyone.
“McKinley is a solid team,” Cook added, looking ahead to Wednesday’s match. “They have quite a few good outside hitters.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
