The Big Island to Eastern Arizona College volleyball pipeline is turning out to be a match made in hot heaven with Angel Alameda and Evalani Toledo serving as the latest impactful imports.
Waihilo Chartrand, a 2012 Hilo graduate, and Randi Estrada, a 2012 Keaau grad, were the first to sign on with the Gila Monsters, a junior college powerhouse.
Then Chelzie-Kristina Ulu, a 2013 Hilo graduate, joined her two former teammates. She was also a Cougar and played Big Island Interscholastic Federation ball with Estrada.
Ulu, a 5-8 middle blocker, is in her last season with the Gila Monsters (14-16), who closed their season Oct. 28. She had company with a pair of former Vikings teammates in libero Alameda and hitter Toledo, both 2014 Hilo graduates.
Alameda has had the biggest impact. She led the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 5.34 digs per set and a total of 577 digs — 68 more than the runner-up.
She had her most productive match against Scottsdale on Oct. 17 at home when she collected a career-high 41 digs in the five-set victory. Alameda didn’t get player of the week, but is likely to earn all-conference honors.
“It’s hot and gets cold at night and in the morning,” Alameda said. “It’s like back at home. It’s not too bad, but there’s no beach up here.”
Her two pals also made their presence felt for the Gila Monsters, coached by Shari Kay, who played for BYU-Hawaii in the early 1990s.
“Angel has been absolutely amazing and our fans love her,” Kay said. “Scottsdale was loaded with 6-foot-plus girls and she dug two amazing balls in a row that brought the crowd to their feet. It was a game-changer for us and allowed us to win.
“It was one of those moments that brought me goose bumps and my heart swelled with pride. The opposing coach said Angel was the reason they lost. She never gets flustered. She does her job and she’s always positive. Holy cow, need I say more? I love her.”
Despite being undersized, Ulu led the conference with 1.28 blocks per set and was 23rd with a .182 hitting clip.
Toledo, also 5-8, was 22nd in the conference with 2.33 kills per set and was 31st with a .131 hitting percentage.
“Eva plays all the way around for us and never comes off the floor. She’s had to adjust hitting against a bigger block, so she has had to learn different offensive shots,” Kay said. “A lot of balls are served to her as teams try to take her out of her game. She reads well and has good volleyball vision. I love that she is a quiet, competitive beast.
“Chelzie is an undersized middle so teams overlook her until the match begins. She plays huge. When she gets a good set, she cannot be stopped. In my opinion, she’s the best middle in the conference. I love her stability and competitiveness.”
Kanekoa joins Central Washington
Keisha Kanekoa, a 2007 Honokaa grad, was one of the greatest Dragons and one of the best basketball players in BIIF history. She led Honokaa to three third-place finishes at the Division I state tournament.
Then she played four years at the University of Hawaii, where she concluded her Rainbow Wahine career as 11th in all-time scoring average with 10.3 points per game, and topped the 1,000-point career mark.
She spent 2013 as a Punahou basketball assistant coach and now has joined Central Washington’s staff.
Kanekoa will be a graduate assistant to coach Jeff Harada, who was formerly the Hawaii Pacific coach. Central Washington is in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and part of the West region, which also includes the University of Hawaii at Hilo.