In their Big Island Interscholastic Federation volleyball days, Maxine Block and Toni Beck faced each other on opposite sides of the net for years.
Who knew after Block, a diehard Pahoa Dagger and 2014 Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science graduate, and Beck, a 2014 Ka‘u graduate, went to college the friendly rivalry would continue?
The 5-foot-10 Block is a freshman outside hitter/middle blocker for Dakota Wesleyan University, an NAIA school in South Dakota, that competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
The 6-foot Beck is a freshman hitter/middle for Briar Cliff University, an NAIA school in Iowa, that also competes in the GPAC.
Block’s Tigers (4-6) visit Beck’s Chargers (8-2) in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday. The game will be streamed live at 2:30 p.m. on Briar Cliff’s website at bcuchargers.com.
Block has yet to get into a game. Both schools have varsity and junior varsity teams.
Beck has seen action in one game, a three-set win over Bacone (Okla.), on Aug. 30. She had a kill on two swings.
Both players are on full-ride scholarships.
Block played for Carla Carpenter-Kabalis’ club team, HI Intensity, which has sent a number of players to college. Beck drove to Hilo and played club ball with Pilipaa, under coach Chris Leonard.
Like her daughter Maxine, mother Virginia Block is a diehard Pahoa Dagger. She’s a presence at practice, encouraging the Daggers to study hard and take the ACT and SAT tests for college.
When Maxine was on a college hunt, touring schools on the mainland and going to volleyball showcases, Virginia made it a point to build a network of contacts.
“I’ve got connections from all over. The farther you go the more money you get. It seems they’re more generous because there’s less competition because everybody wants to go to the West Coast. … But we’re gaining ground, with Toni and Maxine going farther away.”
Virginia Block wants to help others because so many people helped her daughter become the first volleyball player out of the Puna District to land a scholarship to a four-year college.
“It’s our way of giving back to the volleyball community,” Block said. “Coming out of Pahoa is where it all started. I’m more than happy to do it for free. It’s a gift back to the community because I’m happy that people helped Maxine.”