Mustangs Moving Through Transitional Growing Pains
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usKalaheo girls volleyball coach Hoku Liu may have gotten a late start with the Mustangs, taking over the reigns of the program in July, but she’s already seeing progress as her team looks to position itself for the upcoming post-season.
Last year, Liu helped orchestrate a dramatic turnaround at cross-town rival Kailua, where she led the boys team to an 8-6 mark a year after the Surfriders had won only one game in 14 matches. That experience left her perhaps the ideal candidate to navigate the transition period that is commonplace when a coaching change occurs.
“They’ve been through some tough times here, but it will get easier in the coming years,” said Liu. “The majority of our kids don’t play Club volleyball.
“They’re athletic, but there isn’t that one-sport attitude, and so they don’t always have the experience that you find in other (volleyball) programs. These girls are doing really good from where they came from.”
Kalaheo took a 5-2 mark into the weekend and faces another challenge at 6 p.m.Wednesday when they host Kaimuki in an encounter that can only be regarded as an opportunity for the Mustangs to finish some unfinished business.
The Mustangs lost to the Bulldogs in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference’s first round on Sept. 9 despite dominating play early on.
“We were ahead by nine points in the first game, and then we let them catch us,” Liu said of the earlier meeting between the schools, which Kalaheo lost 28-26, 25-22.
“It (the loss of momentum and eventually the match) was due to our own bad passing and bad serves that we lost. We have to eliminate our own mistakes.
“I would hope it would give us some incentive this time,” she added. “I know it gives the coaches (added incentive).We’re trying to create a habit of being resilient.”
A pair of veterans - outside hitter Case (pronounced Kay-cee) Jenkins and outside hitter Sabrina Blanco - have aided Kalaheo’s cause to date. At press time, Blanco had a team-best 21 kills (through seven games), with Jenkins following closely behind with 17.
“Together they work really well, and they’ve been our leaders. Case has the best vertical leap of anyone on our team - she really gets over the block.
“She’s been on the team here four years and brings a lot of volleyball experience. Sabrina rallies the team together; she’s very positive and a real role model for us. Together they make up most of our attack.”
Jenkins is the daughter of Paula Gusman-Jenkins, a former volleyball stand-out at UH. Her father, Charlie, was an All-American setter for the UH men’s team.
The Mustangs have also benefited from solid play from junior setter Daneen Williams, while Kalaheo boasts middle blockers Brianna Elliot and Carli Huihui, setter Caira Pires and outside hitter/middle blocker Kiana Wasson.
Under Liu, the Mustangs have made a commitment to having an interchangeable lineup, a move they hope will pay off down the road.
“I like that they’re receptive to being well-rounded.We like our kids to be able to play all of the positions. That way anyone can fill in if we’re in a tight spot (personnel-wise).We’re trying to get their minds out of the box.
“We have to learn to transfer what we do in practice over to the game,” Liu added.“Most of the games we’ve lost, we spent most of our time on offense. It’s been a matter of losing focus and losing hope when we get down a couple of points.”
Following Thursday’s game with Kaimuki, the Mustangs travel to Kailua for an 11 a.m.match Saturday.
The top six teams from OIA’s Division II qualify for the league’s post-season, which begins in mid-October.
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