As soon as her airplane touched down in Seattle last week, Tiana Reynolds hit the ground running, gathering school equipment and getting in shape for volleyball at Centralia College.
As soon as her airplane touched down in Seattle last week, Tiana Reynolds hit the ground running, gathering school equipment and getting in shape for volleyball at Centralia College.
The 2014 Hawaii Prep graduate and her mom Nicky Reynolds flew out last Friday – a day after Tropical Storm Iselle hit – to be in time for Trailblazers coach Susan Gordon’s rigid military camp.
Reynolds, a 5-foot, 9-inch outside hitter, was intending to head to Lewis & Clark to play volleyball and basketball at the Portland, Ore., school, which is in the Northwest Conference that includes Pacific – the popular destination for many Hawaii kids.
But she landed a scholarship through the ncsasports.org website that covers 65 percent of her collegiate package. A work-study program will take care of the rest.
Reynolds and her mom made the 90-minute drive on Sunday to the cozy campus (4,800 students) and set up at the college’s off-campus volleyball housing unit. Mom cooked a nice dinner, then her daughter discovered the collegiate meaning of hard work the next day.
“The training is really hard,” Reynolds said. “On Monday, we had three hours, 1 ½ hours in the morning and 1 ½ hours in the afternoon. It’s crazy. There’s a lot of cardio and lifting. I don’t know when it’ll end, probably until the season starts.
“I didn’t know Centralia existed. But Courtney Kaupu (2013 Konawaena graduate) plays basketball here. I thought I was totally in shape. I’ve done pretty well in the conditioning, coming in second for most of the stuff. It’s really hard. She pushes us to the limit. She’s really tough, but a nice person, down-to-earth.”
Still, the 2013 Big Island Interscholastic Federation first-team pick at outside hitter felt her muscles barking on Tuesday morning. The season starts on Sept. 18, so there’s no early expiration date to the grunt work.
She was well-schooled for everything. HPA coach Sharon Peterson prepared her mentally while her mom was her youth coach for basketball and volleyball, and didn’t lift a foot off the gas pedal.
“I’m so sore. I woke up this morning and couldn’t even walk,” Reynolds said. “Every day at practice, Sharon would talk how to be mentally tough for everything, to give 110 percent. My mom helped coach me, and pushed me to the limits as well.”
Nicky works for the North Hawaii Community Hospital while her husband Martin Reynolds works for Helco, and is busy as well. Their other daughter, Tehane, doubles as her elder sister’s best friend; Tehane, a setter, is a senior at Honokaa.
Dual pipeline
Reynolds is the first volleyball player at Centralia from the Big Island. She’s also thinking of walking on to the basketball team, and hoping Tehane joins her next school year.
“It was really sad leaving her at the airport,” Reynolds said. “If she comes up next year, it’ll be like nothing happened. We text all day when I’m on break, like how my days are going.
“The campus is really nice. It’s really small and two minutes from school, so you can walk. It’s a nice college for Hawaii kids. Everything is around the area. You can bike to each spot off-campus.”
Reynolds wants to the pass the word to Gordon that the Big Island is stocked with volleyball talent. She hopes a few former HPA teammates join her. There’s no soccer – perhaps a deterrent for HPA senior Gabbie Ewing – but there is softball.
In a nod to Carla Carpenter-Kabalis’ HI Intensity club team, Reynolds is the latest pupil to sign on to play college ball. Other scholarship club players and 2014 graduates are Amanda Loeffler, Hilo High, Pacific Union; Angel Alameda and Evalani Toledo, Hilo, Eastern Arizona.
In fact, off the All-BIIF Division II team, three others signed to play college ball: Maxine Block, Pahoa, Dakota Wesleyan (South Dakota); Toni Beck, Ka‘u, Briar Cliff (Iowa); Kamalani Fujikawa, Ka‘u, Shoreline (Wash.) College.
Also, Makani Wall, Konawaena, is at Irvine Valley College, and Carina Verhulsdonk, HPA, went to Western New Mexico. Leeta Grap, a 2012 HPA graduate, transferred to WNMU after two years at North Idaho College.
Centralia and Shoreline are in the Northwest Athletic Conference, though in different divisions. Unfortunately, the two schools aren’t scheduled to meet during the regular season.
Fresh faces
Since the NWAC’s start in 1978, Centralia has never qualified for the championship game. Last season, the Trailblazers finished with a 7-9 record, including 6-9 in the conference for sixth place among the eight teams.
They’re in the West Division. At least, Centralia is not in the East division, where two-time champion Blue Mountain resides. There’s also North and South divisions.
Basically, it’s really tough macadamia nut to crack to not only win the NWAC conference, but also to reach the National Junior College Athletic Association national championships.
However, where there is youth, there is hope.
“I love my teammates. They’re nice and welcoming,” said Reynolds, who graduated with a 3.6 grade-point average and wants to become a physical therapist or X-ray technician.
“They’re all freshmen. We have only one returnee,” she said. “When I came here on Monday, all the girls were in shape. It’s a whole new team. My coach thinks this is the year we’ll be able to get up there. I see the potential. We’re all strong, want to win, and I can feel it.”