Taylor Alicuben and Lehualani Keka didn’t expect to receive a dream vacation and shadow the world’s best national team when they signed to play volleyball at Highline College.
Taylor Alicuben and Lehualani Keka didn’t expect to receive a dream vacation and shadow the world’s best national team when they signed to play volleyball at Highline College.
Alicuben, a 2015 Hilo graduate, and Keka, a 2015 Keaau graduate who played at Pahoa, are starters at setter and right-side hitter, respectively, for the Thunderbirds (21-2), who are ranked No. 2 in their conference.
Highline held its August preseason training in Brazil, and had the golden opportunity to watch the women’s national team practice. Brazil won Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games.
The Thunderbirds worked out three times a day, but found enough room to sneak in some brilliant tourist sights, such as the Copacabana, often referred to as the world’s most famous beach, in Rio de Janeiro.
The junior college, located in Des Moines, Wash., about 15 minutes from Seattle, bolted to an 8-0 start, and Alicuben credited the 10-day training trip.
“Brazil was amazing. It’s the best trip I’ve taken by far,” said Alicuben, who played club ball for Pilipaa and had her share of road trips. “We got to train at the national training center, and watch the men and women’s national teams, and eat with them in the dining area.
“We learned a lot, and got better as a team. Even though they’re at a high level, they do a lot of basics, passing and serving. If you know how to do the basics right, you get better from there. It was cool to see their drills.”
Keka’s mom tried to pull a fast one over the 6-foot-2 early education major.
“My mom (Nicole) found out first and didn’t tell me. I got an email one day from coach Chris (Littleman) to get my passport,” Keka said. “I said, ‘Mom, what’s this?’ Then she said, ‘You’re going to Brazil.’ I was stoked. The 12- or 13-hour flight was not that bad.”
Both were recruited through the www.ncsasports.org website, and also scouted at the Las Vegas Senior Showcase. Keka played club ball for HI-Intensity.
Alicuben and Keka battled in BIIF competition, but didn’t really know each other. Now, they’re roommates, and have learned a thing or two about each other.
“She has very good time-management skills,” said Alicuben, a physical therapy major. “She’s a good person to room with. She makes sure I’m doing everything on time, especially game days. We help each other out.”
Alicuben has family nearby, and her cousin Austin Guillot, also goes to Highline. She has a built-in comfort zone, and serves as a welcome blanket for Keka, who inherited her time-management skills from her mom.
“It’s nice having someone from a similar place when you’re far away from home,” Keka said. “My mom is very organized, clean and neat. She’s always on time. She’ll make sure to call me 30 minutes before a home game, and ask if I’m leaving already. I’ll tell her, ‘Not yet. I’m two minutes away.’
“In Hilo, I didn’t really know Taylor. It’s nice that she’s my roommate. I’ve noticed that she’s super nice and helpful. I’m happy she’s here and she’s good company.”
Her mom is 5-10 and owns East Hawaii Midwife Service, and her dad Justin Keka is 5-11, and he’s a landscaper. But Keka gets her height from her mom’s side, and sound advice from both parents.
“My dad has told me that you need bad days to know what the good days are,” she said. “My mom has always told me to not take anything for granted.”
Keka describes herself as “go with the flow.” She hasn’t given serious thought about landing at another college. If that happens or not, she’s good either way.
The 5-9 Alicuben is quite the opposite. Her dream school, like most keiki o ka aina, is to play for the Rainbow Wahine.
But if she winds up at another West Coast school, that would be another proud moment for her parents, Cy Alicuben, a county construction inspector, and Jodie, who works at the Hilo Medical Center.
“My big dream is to play for the Wahine. Who doesn’t dream that? That’s just a dream,” Alicuben said. “My parents always want me to have goals. They tell me to set a goal and keep striving, even if it’s out of reach. They’re very supportive.”
Littleman also discovered something about his two Big Island volleyball players.
“They are both extremely hard workers and open to making changes in their games to become better players,” he said. “They bring a very good attitude and enthusiasm to the team.
“This was my first year recruiting any of the Hawaiian islands. I plan to recruit every year from Hawaii.”
In Highline’s last game on Sept. 25, a road win over Pierce, Keka put up stellar stats: eight kills, a .400 hitting clip and 11 digs. Alicuben had 31 assists.
The Thunderbirds host Centralia (4-10) today. The Blazers feature sisters Tiana Reynolds (Hawaii Prep, 2014) and Tehane Reynolds (Honokaa, 2015).
After the match, the sisters will likely ask how things are going at Highline, where there are a lot of good coffee shops around the school, which has over 17,000 students.
But Brazil beats Starbucks every day.
Then Alicuben and Keka can show cellphone photos, and tell them about going to Brazil, a working vacation of a lifetime.
To submit a candidate for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.