The Oahu Interscholastic Association Blue Division of Girls Volleyball offers an excellent opportunity for players to improve upon their skill level says Caroline Uluare, coach of Kahuku’s Blue Division team.
 
“For our school having a Blue Division team is really good because we have a lot of students who are very talented at playing volleyball. This division allows these players the chance to be able to participate in a sport that they dearly love,” Uluare said. “Prior to the formation of this division, these players would lose out. Now they have another shot at getting game experience and one day making the school’s varsity team.”
 
Uluare added that a school’s junior varsity team is typically composed of freshman and sophomore players while the Blue Division team may fill its roster with players ranging from ninth graders to seniors. Uluare confirmed that coaches sometimes place seniors on the Blue Division team as an insurance in case players on the varsity get injured.
 
“Some of these players truly have a lot of potential to be great in the future,” Uluare added. “Because they are young players many of them need time to develop. Another important factor is that this division gives coaches another avenue at seeing how these players evolve over the course of a season.”
 
Sophomores Fia Tailele-Lata and Maila Tafau both say they come to practice every day with desire and determination of getting better. And both hopes that their experience of playing in the Blue Division will lead to a chance at making the varsity team in the future.
 
“I really want to get better and one day play volleyball in college,” Tafau said.
 
Although individual achievements are important to Tailele-Lata and Tafau, both say winning as a team is more important.
 
“We try our best to play as a team,” Tailele-Lata said. “The coaching staff does a good job at teaching us to play as a team and the necessaries of good communication on the court.”
 
Tailele-Lata pointed out that “winning games is a way to prove that you’re ready to move on to the next level. If you win then you can state your case for moving up to the next level.”
 
Tafau concurs that playing on a winning team is important.
 
“Certainly I want to win. I want to have fun playing and its fun to win,” Tafau said. “But coming to practice is just as important. The coaches are constantly helping us work on techniques that are critical to our development.”