KAPAA — A bunch of Kauai boys have teamed up to challenge what the country has to offer.
Boys volleyball players from Kapaa, Kauai and Waimea high schools, and one Kauaian who attends Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama, will compete in the USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championships in Phoenix, Ariz.
“This is the tournament in the nation, it’s basically the best of the best — the nation’s best players,” said head coach Kapule Kaona, who is also the boys volleyball head coach for Kapaa High School. “They have different divisions, age groups and so forth.”
The idea of an all-Kauai team competing at nationals was spearheaded by setter Rusdan-Rocket Ahuna, an upcoming senior at Kapaa High School.
“My goal is to play collegiately and to further my skills in volleyball,” Ahuna said Monday night’s practice in Kapaa. “I love playing volleyball. I thought this was a good way to spend my summer. … I want to be able to play sports and not be only in high school season.”
The team will compete in the 17 club division (ages 17-and-under club teams). Pool play begins Friday, and play will run through Monday.
The team has been working together since the Division II state boys volleyball tournament ended about six weeks ago.
There are two objectives for this team in Phoenix. The first is to gain experience against unfamiliar opposition.
“My main goal and objective of this tournament is to get them exposure as far as the talent that’s out there and to be able expand their game,” Kaona said.
He added: “They’ve never been to a tournament like this, and neither have I as a coach. This is an experience for all of us. As far as expectations, we don’t know what to expect. So, our expectation is to know what we have, and how can we perform at our best with what we have.”
The second objective is to get college coaches to notice them in hopes of receiving scholarships.
“I found out that kids nowadays get scholarships for playing club sports, not (just) high school anymore,” Ahuna said. “We’ve been going to some college recruiting classes. I’m going to meet a couple of coaches up there, and hopefully get to play collegiately.”
He added about teaming up with players from the other schools and competing on a national stage: “It’s better than what I expected. Ever since states, we’ve been starting slow and working up to it. We’re coming together and playing as a team. … It’s going to be tough, but we’re definitely going to have fun. That’s the main point.”
For Joshua “Iwi” Rivera, an upcoming senior at Kauai High School who plays outside hitter, the chance for potential college recruiters to watch him play is an exciting opportunity.
“I hope to get a scholarship. I’m trying my best to work in school as well as my athletics,” Rivera said. “All of us have been contacting coaches. Hopefully, they’ll come out and watch us.”
Rivera added “it’s amazing” to be part of this all-Kauai team.
“All of us boys from different schools just coming together and bonding in the amount of time we have,” he said. “All of us know each other from playing club from different places. It’s an exciting thing to do.”
To join the tournament, it was arranged for the team to sign on under TAVA Hawaii, a club based on Oahu.
TAVA is an acronym meaning “Tita Ahuna Volleyball Academy.” The club director is Reydan “Tita” Ahuna, who is Ahuna’s aunt.
“Tita” Ahuna played women’s volleyball for the University of Hawaii. She was team captain of UH’s NCAA Division I championship-winning team in 1987.
“The Ahuna name is really big. My dad played Division I football, and my auntie, of course, played Division I volleyball,” Ahuna said. “It’s definitely a big name to live up to. … I’m just going along with it, just seeing where it takes me.”
Kaona hopes this will become an year trip and that this isn’t just a one-time occurrence.
“I’m hoping for it to be a start and for this to be an annual thing,” he said. “This isn’t just myself. There’s other coaches that are doing something as well. I’m hoping this will start something so that for boys volleyball, hopefully we can elevate to the next level.”
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
