Ka‘u and Kansas have nothing in common, except a shared sentiment that Marley Strand-Nicolaisen and a little girl in red shoes hold in their hearts: There’s no place like home.
Ka‘u and Kansas have nothing in common, except a shared sentiment that Marley Strand-Nicolaisen and a little girl in red shoes hold in their hearts: There’s no place like home.
When Strand-Nicolaisen steps into UH-Hilo’s gym on Saturday night, it’ll be for the final time as a Vulcan volleyball player, one who is the team’s operational engine and emotional core.
The 6-foot senior outside hitter and 2013 Ka‘u graduate would be a lousy poker player because she wears her emotions on her sleeve for all to see.
When she soars and crushes a kill through a constant double block, Strand-Nicolaisen will pump her fist and send her electricity to everyone in the stands.
When she hits an errant ball, receives a wobbly set or watches a breakdown as a bystander, Strand-Nicolaisen will struggle to hide a grimace and then clap her hands to cheer up her teammates.
Along with Strand-Nicolaisen, the other Vul seniors who will conclude their careers are Sienna Davis, Kyndra Trevino-Scott, and Mariya Heidenrich against BYU-Hawaii, which is playing its final match. The Seasiders will eliminate their sports programs after the 2016-17 season.
“Marley is a wonderful person and great teammate,” UHH coach Tino Reyes said. “If she didn’t have to carry such a heavy load, she would be all-conference. Every defense is geared to stopping her. Everybody in the gym knows the ball is going to her.”
As a Trojan, Strand-Nicolaisen was only familiar with success. She was on the varsity as a sophomore and reached the HHSAA Division II state tournament every year. As a senior, she led Ka‘u to its first BIIF title.
As a Vulcan, Strand-Nicolaisen has only experienced losing records, in large part because cash-strapped UHH underfunds all of its sports. Division II volleyball allows eight scholarships; UHH offers 6.1.
“It’s been a great learning experience at UHH,” she said. “It’s been one end to the other extreme. It’s been humbling. It’s been difficult. I feel we’ve had the talent, but some parts have not quite clicked each year.”
Strand-Nicolaisen has changed as a player, moving from middle blocker to outside hitter, getting stronger and seeing the game with a new set of eyes.
“Tino has helped me expand my game as an outside hitter,” she said. “Coming to UHH, I’ve always played middle. He told me I would be an outside hitter. I was like, ‘Wow. OK. I don’t know if I’m going to like that.’ But I learned to love it. Honestly, it’s the best place to play.
“I’m able to look at the block a lot better, use my peripheral vision to see the court and the defense, incorporate more shots, like my roll, tip, hard angle and make the opponent play the whole court.”
Strand-Nicolaisen was the PacWest freshmen of the year. But she never reached all-conference status again. One reason for her lack of development was a set of injuries (leg, bruised kidney), something she didn’t point out.
When Reyes talks about Strand-Nicolaisen, he’ll circle back to what makes her a wonderful person.
“She’s had some injuries her sophomore and junior years, and that set back her development,” he said. “As a player, she’s always been there for the team from her freshman year. She’s a great teammate.
“Before road trips, if kids don’t have rides, she’ll say, ‘Coach, I’ll take care of it.’ She’ll make sure they have rides to the airport and back. For four years, she’s invited girls from other countries or the mainland who don’t go home for Thanksgiving to her house. She and her family have shown a lot of aloha to her teammates.”
Of course, Strand-Nicolaisen won’t mention the aloha she shows to her teammates. That’s not her style. The best people, either great teammates or wonderful coaches, do things for others without regard for recognition.
Strand-Nicolaisen has changed as a person, taking care of herself as well as others and opening her world view. Junior teammate Trixie Croad is from New Zealand, and sophomore Evelin Soyomvari is from Hungary.
“I’m much more driven,” Strand-Nicolaisen said. “I’ve increased expectations for myself. I’ve set high expectations for both sports and academia. I want to ace out the rest of my classes.”
Give back
Some things never change.
Her best friend is still old Trojan teammate Toni Beck, a 2014 Ka’u graduate and junior middle blocker at Briar Cliff, an NAIA school in Iowa.
Strand-Nicolaisen, a kinesiology/biology major, has a 3.54 grade-point average. She’s looking to graduate next spring and get into a physician assistant program, possibly at Pacific University, the state’s most popular college, next to UH-Manoa.
It’ll be a two-year PA program, no cakewalk to get in. But she’s hoping to return to her hometown someday, work at Ka‘u hospital and make her parents (Laurie Strand and Robert Nicolaisen) proud once again.
“I want to work in Ka‘u and give back to the community,” she said. “They’ve provided so much support. The whole Pahala town comes to the Ka‘u gym to cheer the Trojans. That’s the thing to do there. Giving back to them is my ultimate goal.”
Last match
Again, Strand-Nicolaisen would make a lousy poker player. As a 45-minute interview wound down, she got sentimental contemplating her last match as a Vulcan.
“I’m tearing up thinking about it. The best thing is I got to stay close to home, have people drive from Ka‘u to watch me play, and I was able to play in front of my hometown,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for a better college experience.”
Sometimes, the best coaches don’t have winning records. Rather, they help produce champions off the court. Like Marley, coach Tino prefers to talk about others than himself.
Of course, Strand-Nicolaisen was already a polished product.
“She’s opened up a little more. She’s still shy,” Reyes said. “She’s more emotional. I love kids who play with emotion. That’s a good quality.
“Her parents did a wonderful job. There wasn’t much for us to do. She needed to come out of her shell a little more, and she’s done that. She’s a homebody. Every chance she has when there’s a break she’s heading home.”
Marley and Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, would both agree: There’s no place like home.