Big Island trio forms 3-headed (Gila) Monster

The Big Island to Eastern Arizona volleyball pipeline is turning out to be a match made in hot heaven with Angel Alameda and Evalani Toledo serving as the latest impactful imports.

Waihilo Chartrand, a 2012 Hilo graduate, and Randi Estrada, a 2012 Keaau grad, were the first to sign on with the Gila Monsters, a junior college powerhouse.

Then Chelzie-Kristina Ulu, a 2013 Hilo graduate, joined her two former teammates. She was also a Cougar and played Big Island Interscholastic Federation ball with Estrada.

Chartrand is now at Chaminade while Estrada landed at the University of Charleston, a Division II program in West Virginia.

In 23 matches for the Golden Eagles (6-17), who finish their season Nov. 7, Estrada, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter, has started 15 times and is averaging 1.19 kills per set with a .182 hitting clip.

In 25 matches for the Silverswords (12-13), Chartrand, a libero, is averaging a team-high 3.02 digs per set.

Ulu, a 5-8 middle blocker, is in her last season with the Gila Monsters (14-16), who closed their season on Tuesday. She had company with a pair of former Viking teammates in libero Alameda and hitter Toledo, both 2014 Hilo graduates.

Alameda has had the biggest impact. She led the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 5.34 digs per set and a total of 577 digs – 68 more than the runner-up.

She had her most productive match against Scottsdale on Oct. 17 at home when she collected a career-high 41 digs in the five-set victory. Alameda didn’t get player of the week, but she’s likely to earn all-conference honors.

“It’s hot and gets cold at night and in the morning,” Alameda said. “It’s like back at home. It’s not too bad, but there’s no beach up here.”

Her two pals also made their presence felt for the Gila Monsters, coached by Shari Kay, who played for BYU-Hawaii back in the early 1990s.

“Angel has been absolutely amazing and our fans love her,” Kay said. “Scottsdale was loaded with 6-foot plus girls and she dug two amazing balls in a row that brought the crowd to their feet. It was a game changer for us and allowed us to win.

“It was one of those moments that brought me goose bumps and my heart swelled with pride. The opposing coach said Angel was the reason they lost. She never gets flustered. She does her job and she’s always positive. Holy cow, need I say more? I love her.”

Despite being undersized, Ulu led the conference with 1.28 blocks per set and was 23rd with a .182 hitting clip.

Toledo, also 5-8, was 22nd in the conference with 2.33 kills per set and was 31st with a .131 hitting percentage.

“Eva plays all the way around for us and never comes off the floor. She’s had to adjust hitting against a bigger block, so she has had to learn different offensive shots,” Kay said. “A lot of balls are served to her as teams try to take her out of her game. She reads well and has good volleyball vision. I love that she is a quiet, competitive beast.

“Chelzie is an undersized middle so teams overlook her until the match begins. She plays huge. When she gets a good set, she cannot be stopped. In my opinion, she’s the best middle in the conference. I love her stability and competitiveness.”

Ulu has been emailing coaches, trying to find her next college home. She’ll have two seasons with three years of collegiate eligibility.

When she isn’t smoking a volleyball, Ulu finds a way to cool off.

“We go to the pool a lot, which is at the north campus,” Ulu said. “Our dorms are in the south campus. It’s a little town (in Thatcher, Ariz.). It’s like living in Ka‘u. It’s really small and everybody knows everybody.

“Everyone is friendly. It’s like back home. If people see us outside of volleyball, they’ll ask if we need anything or how we’re doing. They love athletics. We have more fans than anybody else in our conference, easy 300 to 400 fans. It’s super fun to play in our gym because we have so many fans.”

When Ulu first got to Arizona Eastern, she didn’t know her coach could throw down a little pidgin.

“She’ll talk a little pidgin. She told us she played at BYUH,” Ulu said. “Then we said, ‘Oh, that’s why.’ She’ll say, ‘Da kine,’ and talk pidgin in random to us.

“Last year when Randi was here, we had a phrase, ‘I no care.’ We were talking to her and said, ‘I don’t know about this coach.’ Then she said, ‘I no care.’ We were like, ‘What?’ She said, ‘I was in Hawaii, too, you know.’ It’s funny.”

Ulu and Alameda were roommates while Toledo lived with another Gila Monster. Ulu had only one complaint and it wasn’t about the weather.

“Angel snores,” Ulu joked. Then after a brief pause, she had a confession. “Actually, I snore. But we’re definitely having fun here.”

Monster pipeline

The pipeline will likely continue because Chartrand’s mom Evelyn, and HI Intensity club coach Carla Carpenter-Kabalis keep feeding Kay impactful players.

“Wai’s mom contacted me when she was a junior, wanting Wai to come to our camp in the summer,” Kay said. “She came and that began our journey. She and her mom are a big reason the current local girls are here. It’s a great pipeline that I’d like to continue. Carla is also a big part. She knows me and has contacted me over the years trying to get girls here.

“The Hawaii girls are better at the basics with their ball-control. So of course I love that, but what I love more about them is their aloha spirit. It is something I both love and miss from my playing days. It’s hard to explain. It’s a great experience for girls from over here to share in it. Players usually bring in players for the next year and that continues.”

Kanekoa a Wildcat

Keisha Kanekoa, a 2007 Honokaa grad, was one of the greatest Dragons and one of the best basketball players in BIIF history. She led Honokaa to three third-place finishes at the Division I state tournament.

Then she played four years at the University of Hawaii, where she concluded her Rainbow Wahine career as 11th in all-time scoring average with 10.3 point per game, and topped the 1,000 point career point mark.

She spent 2013 as a Punahou basketball assistant coach. From a Dragon to a Rainbow Wahine to a Buffanblu, Kanekoa is now a Wildcat, after being added to Central Washington’s staff.

Kanekoa will be a graduate assistant to coach Jeff Harada, who was the Hawaii Pacific coach. Central Washington is in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and part of the West region, which also includes UHH.

As an interesting nickname side note, Kanekoa’s Dragons were BIIF runner-up from 2005 to ’07 to Konawaena, the league’s powerhouse whose nickname is the Wildcats.

Kona has won the last six BIIF championships, and during that span from 2009 to ’14 is 69-0.

To submit a candidate for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.