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Mililani-Kahuku should make for fun volleyball match




When it comes to girls volleyball in the OIA this season, Mililani and Kahuku are the cream of the crop. The Trojans (11-0) and Red Raiders (12-0) are the Red West and East conference champions, respectively, and are two of the three undefeated teams left on Oahu (Kamehameha is 13-0 and can win the ILH by beating Punahou Saturday).

Mililani coach Val Crabbe describes her team as "young," but the leader of the group is a seasoned veteran. Jordyn Keamo has played nearly every position in her four varsity seasons and has excelled at each. She played mostly outside hitter her first three seasons and despite coming off a junior season in which she earned OIA Red West Player of the Year honors, Keamo took over the duties as the primary setter for the Trojans in 2013.

Keamo still gets the occassional set — and usually puts it away promptly — when junior Nikki Carter runs the offense, but she has largely given way to a pair of senior transfers in outside hitter Ashlee Vaoifi and middle blocker Sarah Liva.

Vaoifi is just 5-foot-5, but makes up for it with athleticism. She mixes power with finesse on the outsides and is usually too quick for opposing middles. Vaoifi, who transferred from Leilehua following her sophomore season, has improved her passing and plays all six rotations. She missed all of last year with a hairline fracture in her tibia.

Liva has found a home in the middle just months after transferring from nearby Hanalani. At 6-foot-1, Liva is a huge presence on both offense and defense for a team that lost two-year starter Samantha Fisher to graduation. She hits a heavy ball and converts more often than not against a single blocker.

Jay Kapowai, who plays opposite of Vaoifi, and junior Sarah LeGalley are other offensive options for Keamo. The defense is anchored by junior libero Kayla Magbaleta and Carter. The Trojans have yet to drop a set this season.

Kahuku has a "new" coach in Tehani Fiatoa (formerly Miyashiro) in 2013, but is experiencing the same success they have in recent seasons. Fiatoa, who played at the University of Hawaii for Dave Shoji, was previously the coach at another OIA Red East school, Kalani.

The Red Raiders are large in numbers — 16 players — and not short on height (eight players listed at 5-9 or taller). They are led by a pair of senior outside hitters in 6-foot-1 Adora Anae and 5-foot-11 Sinamoni Tonga. Anae can pound the ball like no other player I've seen in recent memory — I mean, she terminates the ball — and is tall enough to hit over most blocks. She's also a great asset defensively, especially in the front row where she can get her hands on a lot of opposing swings.

Tonga may not make as many spectacular plays as Anae, but is steady and also has a very strong arm. Another senior, 5-foot-8 senior Talia Brown has also proven to be a valuable commodity. The question, however, is who will be the primary setter for the Red Raiders Thursday night? Junior Rachel Blake started Tuesday's match against Farrington but was pulled in favor of freshman Sharae Niu early on. Other setters listed on the roster are senior Shanrae Santiago, senior Kianalei Sanft and Brown.

Kahuku didn't have its usual starting lineup on the court against the Govs due a "violation of team rules" by a few players, according to Fiatoa. The Red Raiders consequently dropped the first set, but went on to take the next three. It was just the third time all season that they did not sweep an opponent.

The teams have met in each of the past two OIA Red title matches. Mililani won its first league volleyball crown in 2011, but Kahuku reclaimed the championship a season ago. Something tells me the rematch Thursday will be a fun one.

The match will follow a 5 p.m. losers' bracket final between Farrington and Moanalua at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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