It would be understandable if Hi Intensity’s 17-year-olds showed up a little weary-eyed Thursday to transition to the adult portion of the Haili Volleyball Tournament. ADVERTISING It would be understandable if Hi Intensity’s 17-year-olds showed up a little weary-eyed Thursday
It would be understandable if Hi Intensity’s 17-year-olds showed up a little weary-eyed Thursday to transition to the adult portion of the Haili Volleyball Tournament.
But considering the streak their on, they have reason not to feel wide-eyed.
Tired of winning yet?
“It can be hard for them to be motivated and keep the adrenaline and focus,” coach Carla Carpenter-Kabalis said Wednesday night after her aptly named team secured a threepeat of sorts.
“I want to credit them for digging deep and understanding their role on the floor,” she said.
“Not just maintaining but rising to the occasion when we needed to rise to the occasion and maintaining that level of intensity.
Hi Intensity – Cayli Farias, Summer Ah Choy, Pomaikai Evans-Bautista, Trinity Alameda, Makena Ahuna, Makena Hanle, Kayla Kahauolopua, Hopoe Napoleon-Martins and Kiani Troy – were among the handful of junior clubs to double up Wednesday night at Hilo Civic, winning a Haili 18-and-under title to go along with the Moku O Keawe regional junior championship they claimed last Saturday.
The Pilipaa 15s (girls), Pilipaa 14s (boys), and two Keaukaha Cuzins teams, girls 14 and boys 12, also won at Haili and regionals.
A few days before regionals, Hi Intensity won Pilipaa’s tournament, and in February they travelled to a tournament in Las Vegas, entering in the 148-team field seeded near the bottom but finishing 17th.
“I’ve had kids that have been with me for three years, and they’ve matured a lot,” she said. “We have great chemistry, and everyone is happy.”
That’s a good thing, considering the volleyball season seemingly never ends.
After Haili, regional winners have their sites set on junior nationals in Minnesota early in the summer, then High Performance programs beckon for some. BIIF practice starts soon thereafter, and club play comes around again after the high school season.
On Saturday, Hi Intensity edged the Piopio Bears in a back-and-forth three-set match that resembled a BIIF all-star game, and the 17s were back at it four days later playing West Hawaii’s Hoopa in a spirited final.
“When the score gets to 20-20, I know that they are going to come through,” said Carpenter-Kabalis, UH-Hilo and NAIA Hall of Famer said. “We work a lot on the mental part of volleyball, and I thoroughly enjoy them applying that.”
Hoopa coach Ainsley Keawekane was a late-comer to the 18 final, but with good reason. He was busy at the adjoining court, coaching his 12s, who fell in their final to Keaukaha. The Cuzins pocketed three Haili junior titles.
While all of Carpenter-Kabalis’s players are eligible to return next season, Keawekane got his final crack at coaching Celena Molina, the BIIF Division II Player of the Year, Ha’ena Keawekane, his daughter, and Ha’ena Keawekane. All three are Konawaena High seniors who helped build the foundation for Hoopa.
“I’m going to miss them,” Ainsley Keawekane said. “They enjoyed themselves and they played effortless. They don’t get down on themselves like they used to, like the little ones.
“When they were younger, they always got so mad at themselves.”
Chris Leonard’s Pilipaa 15s probably could have held their own in the older division, but as it was they claimed the 16U division going away, overcoming a stiff challenge in the first set against Piopio to claim gold for the second time in five days.
The team includes all-BIIF honorable mention players such as Tiani Bello, Laurie McGrath and Nani Spaar.
“We have a combination of size and athleticism that we haven’t had with this group,” Leonard said. “We’re working hard and they’re working hard to really realize the potential that is there. There is a real high ceiling for these girls, but they have to work hard to get there., and the goal is to keep them focused.”
Leonard also was set to make a quick turnaround Thursday, playing on two teams in Haili’s adult field, where play continues Friday and Saturday.
In women’s AA field, there was a possibility that Carpenter-Kabalis was going to have a chance to coach her 17s against a Hi Intensity Honolulu team that includes three of her daughters and is vying for its fifth consecutive title.
“That’s going to be fun and exciting,” Carpenter-Kabalis said. “Looking forward to the kids having a great experience playing against college players.”
Also winning junior titles were Nawahi Onipaa (boys 10) and Mauloa (coed 10).
