Some of the members of Damien's first girls' varsity team are, from left, Franchesca Ponce, Jordan Marcello, Shay-Lyn Herring, Coach Kyle Yawata, Kilinoe Gora. Stacy Kaneshiro | SL

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Some of the members of Damien's first girls' varsity team are, from left, Franchesca Ponce, Jordan Marcello, Shay-Lyn Herring, Coach Kyle Yawata, Kilinoe Gora. Stacy Kaneshiro | SL

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Damien Memorial School is about to embark on history this interscholastic athletics season.

The Monarchs will field their first girls' varsity sport when volleyball season starts next month. Damien will be play in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's Division II.

Damien became co-educational two years ago after catering to only boys for nearly 50 years. The Roman Cahtolic school will celebrate its first co-ed graduating class in 2016, so the eldest girls on the volleyball team are juniors.

"I think it's very interesting and exciting because we get to be the first," junior outside hitter Kilinoe Gora said. "All the new girls who come we'll look up to us because we're the first ones."

Later in the school year, Damien girls will make debuts on the varsity level in basketball, softball and wrestling.

"It's exciting for Damien Memorial School to have a varsity for the girls' level because they've been boys all this time," said inaugural varsity girls' coach Kyle Yawata, who coached the boys' varsity the past two years and the girls' intermediate team last season. "We have a lot of returnees from the JV team last year and couple that will contribute from the intermediate."

The JV girls took second in ILH Division II last year.

What helps the young Monarchs is that about seven or eight players on the team play for off-season club teams, so it isn't as if the players aren't familiar with the game. The school decided to start this season because there is a junior class.

"I think we can compete at a high level," Yawata said. "It's better to start now when (the juniors) still have another year to play. I figure we'll grow together and have two years to develop and try to accomplish something."

Yawata said he will be relying on those players with club experience because they are used to the high level competition they are expected to face on the interscholastic level.

'It's the same game they've been playing when they were 10 or 11 (years old)," Yawata said. "I don't think it's any different just because it's the varsity level."

The 12-player varsity comprises six juniors, three sophomore and three freshmen, Yawata said. All, save for one, entered Damien two years ago as incoming freshmen or younger. The newest to the school is Maleah Miller, a junior transfer from Colorado. Miller is the tallest player at 5 feet, 11 inches, while defensive specialist Jordan Marcello is 4-7 1/2.

Yawata won't hesitate to give his youngest players action on the court. Freshman Ash-Lyn Herring, whose older sister Shay-Lyn is an outside hitter/middle blocker, will be the setter.

Girls are making progress at Damien. Of the 486 high-school students (grades 9 to 12), 148 are girls or 30 percent, according to school records. With girls' getting a chance to earn varsity letters, boys no longer will have the bragging rights in athletics.

"We'll show the boys they're not all that," one of the players said,