The Daily OrangeKaluau, Williams transition from life in Hawaii to Syracuse volleyball
By Brad Kallet
Posted: 9/24/09, 10:16 PM EST Section: Sports
Take a look at the Syracuse volleyball roster: of 14 players on the squad, eight are from the Northeast, mostly stretching from Canada down to central Pennsylvania.
Now look again, it's not a misprint. Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Williams and freshman defensive specialist Kayla-Al Kaluau break the mold, coming from Ewa Beach and Haiku, Hawaii, respectively.
Both Williams and Kaluau coincidentally attended high schools of the same name, Kamehameha High, but lived on different islands, roughly 145 miles apart. Though they knew of each other prior to being teammates on the Orange, Williams' decision to come to Central New York had no effect on Kaluau.
"I had played against Ashley before, but I didn't even know that she was attending Syracuse until I researched the team before my visit," Kaluau said.
Both Williams and Kaluau contacted the Syracuse coaching staff, sending highlight tapes in order to garner interest.
When assistant coach Carol LaMarche saw the tapes, she knew that there was potential. The next step was seeing them compete in live action. LaMarche and the rest of the SU coaching staff followed them both to tournaments in Georgia, and liked what they saw.
Using expenses from the recruiting budget, the Orange staff made sure Williams and Kaluau came to the campus to get a firsthand look of what the school and the program were all about.
"When I came for my visit, all the girls were great," Williams said. "Everyone was working together, and it looked like a really good program."
Kaluau was especially interested in the university's architecture program, which ultimately had a major effect on her decision to head east. When it came to playing volleyball, Kaluau's high school coach found that Syracuse was looking for defensive specialists, prompting her to send a tape to the school. Once Syracuse showed definitive interest in her ability, combined with the strength of the architecture department, the decision was easy for Kaluau.
Now look again, it's not a misprint. Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Williams and freshman defensive specialist Kayla-Al Kaluau break the mold, coming from Ewa Beach and Haiku, Hawaii, respectively.
Both Williams and Kaluau coincidentally attended high schools of the same name, Kamehameha High, but lived on different islands, roughly 145 miles apart. Though they knew of each other prior to being teammates on the Orange, Williams' decision to come to Central New York had no effect on Kaluau.
"I had played against Ashley before, but I didn't even know that she was attending Syracuse until I researched the team before my visit," Kaluau said.
Both Williams and Kaluau contacted the Syracuse coaching staff, sending highlight tapes in order to garner interest.
When assistant coach Carol LaMarche saw the tapes, she knew that there was potential. The next step was seeing them compete in live action. LaMarche and the rest of the SU coaching staff followed them both to tournaments in Georgia, and liked what they saw.
Using expenses from the recruiting budget, the Orange staff made sure Williams and Kaluau came to the campus to get a firsthand look of what the school and the program were all about.
"When I came for my visit, all the girls were great," Williams said. "Everyone was working together, and it looked like a really good program."
Kaluau was especially interested in the university's architecture program, which ultimately had a major effect on her decision to head east. When it came to playing volleyball, Kaluau's high school coach found that Syracuse was looking for defensive specialists, prompting her to send a tape to the school. Once Syracuse showed definitive interest in her ability, combined with the strength of the architecture department, the decision was easy for Kaluau.
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