The Castle girls volleyball program has gradually risen from being in the White Division last season to being a member of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division final four in this season’s league championships.

Much of the Knight’s success can be credited to the standout play of their middle blockers – Joshell Lilio, Verna Lynch and Tehani Umiamaka.  The three players have been robust in knocking down kills and blocking opponent’s kill attempts throughout the OIA playoffs. Castle has won three of its four matches in this tournament, enabling them to remain a contender for the league title.

Castle moved up from the White Division this season into the brutal Red East Division which has been traditionally dominated by two-time OIA champions Kahuku and current Red East Division champions Moanalua. The team finished the regular season with a 6-6 record.  “We kinda of had an up-and-down season,” said Lynch, a junior. “But as the season went along we got better and better. I think that the Red East is full of quality teams. And it seems that playing against these schools helped us grow as a team.”
 
Four of the six OIA schools which have qualified for the HHSAA state tournament are from the Red East. Kaiser,  is the other team from that division. The state tourney will be held this October 27-30 on Maui.

“We had a great season thus far,” said Lilio, a junior. “When the match against Mililani starts I’m sure that our team will be ready to compete. We believe in ourselves and we are very confident that it is possible to win the championship. Winning would be a great honor for our school.”

Lynch and Lilio both have played volleyball for Castle since their freshman year and have seen the program vastly improve over those years. “The juniors and seniors on this team know one another very well on the court. We have played with each other for the past three seasons so we know each other's strong points and weak points.  Playing all of those seasons has given us the knowledge of what it will take to continue winning in this tournament and hopefully when we reached states,” Lynch said.

Although Castle returned most of the players from the squad that finished sixth in last years’ Division 2 state tournament, the addition of Umiamaka has been a plus for Castle. The senior transferred to Castle this season from Kailua.  “She’s the piece that Castle was missing,” Castle coach Grant Tolentino said after the team defeated Kaiser in the fourth round of the playoffs.
 
Umiamaka has performed brilliantly in providing depth and experience. She jumps exceptionally well and has an eye for blocking at the net. Her main contribution has been helping Castle maintain its offensive flow in the middle portion of games.  Without Umiamaka, it is doubtful that Castle would be this successful. She gives Castle the advantage of having three players with a height of six foot, allowing Tolentino the freedom to constantly keep two players with height on the court in each game.  “Playing for Castle this season has really been positive,” Umiamaka said. “My new teammates are very competitive and play with desire.”

The ladies will matchup against Mililani this Tuesday, October 19th in the loser’s bracket of the tourney for an opportunity to play in the championship match on Thursday, October 21st. The winner of the Tuesday match must defeat the team from the winner’s bracket twice in order to capture the league crown.