McKenna Ventura attended a volleyball combine in January on Oahu, where Pacific Lutheran spotted the Konawaena senior and kept an eye on her.
When the 5-foot-8 outside hitter/middle blocker later visited the Division III school in Parkland, Wash., Ventura found what she was looking.
She grew up playing volleyball ohana-style. Ventura has been on Konawaena coach Ainsley Keawekane’s club team Hoopa since she was in the fifth grade.
Her parents, Hamana and Loveyann Ventura, doubled as life-long coaches. They were both Wildcats assistants.
It was also a family affair. Her sophomore sister McKayla Ventura was a defensive specialist for the Wildcats and plays club ball, too.
It helped that the Lutes coach is Kevin Aoki, who graduated from Iolani and PLU. His wife is also a PLU graduate and they have two children.
Aoki has been the Lutes coach for 20 years and has a 360-161 record, winning the Northwest Conference championship nine times, the last in 2014. Aoki has found a home in the Pacific Northwest. Ventura found her college home, too.
Like the old-time song Ventura Highway by the band America, there were alligator lizards in the air.
Ventura is too young to know about that hit song, which came out in 1972. That’s her dad’s alarm clock music, and he’s heard it 12 million times.
But she knows what ohana-style feels like, and that was a big attraction. And never mind the alligator lizards (the shape of oblong clouds).
“The coach was friendly and open, and he wanted me to visit the campus,” Ventura said. “I felt comfortable there. The people there are welcoming. The campus visit was really good.”
There are two back-row Lute defenders who are from Honolulu in junior Taylor Komagome and sophomore Caylie Shiramizu, who was Ventura’s host.
“I stayed with Caylie. I got to do an overnight stay,” Ventura said. “She introduced me to everyone in the resident hall. She’s someone who can give me inside tips on how to live in Washington.
“The first thing they told me is I really need to get boots. It rains there and don’t be afraid of the rain. It happens all the time.”
Ventura has a 3.73 grade-point average and plans to major in business administration.
Division III schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, but the wealthier ones can hand out attractive academic/financial aid packages.
PLU has an endowment of $83 million, more than double that of conference rival Pacific University, the college home to many Hawaii kids.
Ventura landed a deal that covers about 75 percent of her costs. And speaking of Pacific, when the Lutes play the Boxers, she’ll run into a Hoopa teammate in Karissa Komo, a 2014 Makua Lani graduate.
Ventura was named to the All-BIIF first team in her senior season when the Wildcats placed fifth at the HHSAA Division II state tournament.
Konawaena captured consecutive state titles in 2013 and ’14. Those were the highlights and after last October her Wildcat teammates started to go their separate ways. Chanelle Molina is heading to Washington State (250 miles away from PLU) to play basketball, and Taiana Tolleson is going to Vanderbilt to play soccer.
During the spring season for Konawaena, Ventura and Sarah Wagner finished fourth in doubles at the BIIF tennis championships. Ventura qualified for states for the first time after taking up BIIF tennis last year.
She has had her share of individual and team success, and her parents have shared in the glory because they’re been there every step of the way.
That’s why her scholarship is a Ventura Highway. The song is basically a “Go West, young man,” theme by Horace Greeley.
“For me, this scholarship means a lot. It proves to me that my parents did everything right for me,” Ventura said. “What they put in for me is what I got out, and that is the person I am today. It’s really satisfying to see all the hard work pay off.
“It’s not a sports scholarship, so I’m more proud about that. I put my academics above my sports and that showed. It was worth it. I’m proud that my focus got me to where I’m going next year.”
