Like a lot of girls who grow up playing volleyball in Hawaii, Texas players Devin Kahahawai and Keonilei Akana once dreamed of wearing the green, silver and black colors of their homestate university. The sport has deep roots on the islands, where it’s played with a pride and passion that winds through generations of Hawaii residents.
That made Friday’s match against the visiting Rainbow Wahine carry particular meaning, even if both Kahahawai and Akana tried to set the emotions aside and take care of business for a Texas volleyball team now eyeing its first SEC campaign.
“I would definitely say it’s a different vibe when you have that kind of connection,” said Kahahawai after helping Texas fend off a scrappy Hawaii squad 3-1 Friday at Gregory Gymnasium. “But I’d say we still came at it like any other game. We prepare the same, because if you play with your emotion, I feel like that’s when it can get kind of rocky. It’s honestly about trying to stay level-headed.”
Texas (5-3) did just that in its 25-14, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19 win, which capped nonconference play for the No. 8 Longhorns. Kahahawai, a 6-foot-4 junior who’s starting to emerge as a steady threat in the Texas attack, fired a career-high 12 kills in her second consecutive start of the season. Akana, a fifth-year senior who has played in every match for Texas since transferring in from Nebraska prior to the 2022 season, also started and contributed five digs while helping anchor the back row.
Akana and Kahahawai seemed pleased enough with the win, propelling Texas into Friday’s SEC opener against an unbeaten Texas A&M squad in College Station. But they were even happier to reunite with some of the Hawaii players and coaches after the match for a postgame meal and some island catchup.
Volleyball is important. But not more than friendships that stretch back thousands of miles to the South Pacific.
“The volleyball world in Hawaii is so small,” Kahahawai said. “It’s just awesome to see everyone here.”
More: Why future Longhorn Lily Davis’ U19 gold medal for Team USA is just the beginning
Hawaii a family affair for Texas players
For Akana, Hawaii volleyball is quite literally a family. Her mother, Jocelyn, starred as a powerhouse outside hitter for some dynamic Rainbow Wahine teams in the mid-1990s while taking sets from Hawaii’s current coach, Robyn Ah Mow. Akana’s sister, Braelyn, recently graduated from Hawaii after starting at middle blocker for three seasons for the squad.
But Akana, the state’s player of the year after helping Kamehameha-Kapālama High School in Honolulu win a 2019 state championship, wanted to follow her own path.
“I felt like growing up, I’ve always wanted to leave the state,” Akana said. “So, I feel like I’ve wanted to make the statement on the mainland and kind of just prove that even the girls in Hawaii can get out of the small state and do big things. Because my sister did the dream of doing what my mom did, I felt OK leaving.”
Kahahawai, two classes behind Akana at Kamehameha-Kapālama, felt just as close to the Hawaii program even if she didn’t have such direct family ties.
“I was a ball girl, probably, since I was 8 years old for Hawaii,” she said. “It literally was my dream to go to Hawaii. I have folders and folders of signed papers and rosters, and I have three signed balls from different teams. I still have all that stuff in my closet back at home. It was my dream for as long as I can remember growing up. That’s our pro team; that’s what we grew up knowing.”
But like Akana, Kahahawai also grew up curious about life outside of Hawaii. The state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior in 2021, she had the opportunity to use volleyball as a vehicle to explore her ambitions.
“As I got older and I got to experience kind of the USA and travel and all of that, I kind of wanted to experience mainland life in a way, because the culture is so different up here than it is back in Hawaii,” she said. “I felt like that’s really important for Hawaii people to experience that. And so that was kind of my thing. I always have home, but I kind of wanted to experience just a different culture they have up here.”
More: Texas volleyball, freshman middle blocker Ayden Ames hope to stand tall as season begins
Jerritt Elliott: Hawaii players bring ‘family’ element to Longhorns
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott has a first-hand appreciation and understanding of Hawaii volleyball. A Southern California native, Elliott spent a valuable year playing for the Hawaii men’s team in the late 1980s.
“Chasing the sun and other things,” he said with a grin. “It was perfect.”
Dave Shoji, Hawaii’s icon of a coach who led the women’s team to four national championships from 1979-87, founded the men’s team before his retirement. Elliott says he “kind of learned the ropes as a coach and watching Dave and what they had.”
“We need Hawaii to be great,” Elliott said, speaking for his sport. “They’re a great volleyball fan base, and I’ve got a lot of respect for them and what they do.”
The Hawaii women’s team hasn’t reached the NCAA Final Four in 15 years but it’s certainly still relevant on a national basis. The Rainbow Wahine have qualified for 30 consecutive NCAA tournaments and have a 132-45 record under seventh-year coach Ah Mow, a Hawaiian volleyball legend who played on the U.S. national team.
Elliott has welcomed players such as Sydney Yogi, Sarah Palmer and Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres in previous seasons at Texas. This year’s squad also includes Rella Binney, a promising freshman from the Honolulu area who has already played 12 sets.
The top players in Hawaii want to compete in the nation’s best programs, which has made recruiting the islands much easier, Elliott said.
“They’ve seen all these other guys win championships,” he said. “So, we’ve become this cool place to be. Every kid can now dream of playing up here; they watch a lot of volleyball, and they aspire to come up here a lot.”
Elliott had multiple reasons to recruit Hawaii, citing the islands’ emphasis on the fundamentals of the game. But he also says the intangibles of having Hawaiian players in the team can matter even more.
“We were lacking in ball control, so we were looking for some kids that knew how to play the game,” he said. “I think they bring a lot of volleyball knowledge, but I think they also bring a lot of family. You know, Hawaiians are known for their family. Everybody’s an auntie and uncle. They do a really good job in that (family) aspect.”
That’s what really matters to players like Kahahawai and Akana, whether they’re sharing a pass on the court or a plate of Spam and sticky rice when either gets a bout of homesickness.
“I feel like being away from home and being able to lean on each other, that definitely helps us,” Akana said. “If we’re missing own immediate family or missing the food or missing Hawaii in general, we just kind of lean on each other. She’s family.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 07:43:00
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