By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Like her fellow first wave Gila Monsters, Eastern Arizona sophomore Chelzie-Kristina Ulu found a new volleyball home.
The 2013 Hilo graduate recently signed with Valley City State University, an NAIA school in North Dakota.
Waihilo Chartrand, a 2012 Hilo grad, and Randi Estrada, a 2012 Keaau graduate, started the BIIF-to-Gila Monster pipeline, and each later landed at a four-year college.
Chartrand signed with Chaminade, which plays in the PacWest along with UH-Hilo. Estrada inked with the University of Charleston in West Virginia, another Division II school.
Eastern Arizona coach Shari Kay served as Ulu’s recruiting coordinator, contacting four-year schools and Valley City State offered an official visit.
For Ulu, who will major in sports medicine, the whereabouts of Valley City, N.D. turned into a “Jeopardy” episode.
Her answer, “Not at all. All I know is it was in the middle of nowhere.”
Question: Before you hit up Goggle, did you know where your new school is?
Here’s the thing about Ulu: she’s 5 feet 8, nice size for a libero, but undersized for a middle blocker, especially against opposing front lines averaging 6 feet or taller.
Still, several Division II schools, including from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Texas, and a Division I school in Colorado, wanted her services.
What made the daughter of Bill and Leilani Ulu so attractive?
For starters, Ulu has a 3.46 grade-point average, led the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 1.28 blocks per set, and had a well-connected and helpful coach in Kay.
“I went on a visit a couple of weeks ago, and I really liked it. I met the girls and the coaches,” Ulu said. “It was snowing everywhere and it was maybe 20 degrees. It’s a small town and I really liked the environment. Based on meeting the girls, you could tell they want to be better.
“Coach Shari is good at helping us get to another program she thinks we’ll fit into. The key is starting the recruiting process early, and getting good grades plays a big role.”
But skill-set also comes into play, too. Colleges don’t hand out scholarships to just anyone. So how does a 5-8 middle lead the conference in blocking?
“Good question,” Ulu said. “Whenever I was talking to coaches, that was their biggest concern. They were wondering how I was one of the best being so small.
“My last year, we were playing the same girls and I think I adjusted to their playing style, being smart in blocking and having good post (outside) blockers set up the block helps out a lot.”
Ulu will have another layer of comfort at Valley City State because the school’s nickname is the Vikings, same during her BIIF days at Hilo, and she got something of an aloha welcome mat during her campus visit.
Word got out that a Hawaii player was checking out the school, and a few Oahu players from the football team texted her host, telling Ulu to hop aboard.
Last season, the Vikings finished 15-18 and lost in the semifinals of the NorthStar conference tournament.
Best, small blocker
During her recruiting process, Ulu got a better handle on what makes her such a tough, undersized blocker from Vikings coach Adam Longmore, who may have a future as a politician someday.
“He watched my highlights and was super impressed with my athleticism,” Ulu said. “He said I could go side to side and was fast in transition. He liked that and defense is a key for them.
“They recruited two high school middles as freshmen, and one starter who’ll be a senior returns. I did ask if I was going to start. He said, ‘I’m not sure. But I’m pretty sure you’re going to start.’ My goal is to better myself and improve my volleyball skills and push the girls to be their best.”
Ulu had a good laugh recalling her new coach turning into a politician when asked about starting.
Not a lot of people thought someone 5-8 like Ulu would lead the conference in blocking either. She finds a way to get the job done.
New wardrobe
She graduates in May and returns home for the summer. Then it’s off to Eastern Arizona in late July to help with a summer camp, before heading to Valley City State.
There’s only one thing left for Ulu, who has a request in to parents Bill, who’s the Homelani Memorial Park superintendent, and Leilani, a Homeless outreach specialist at Hope Services Hawaii.
“My dad was super supportive wherever I wanted to go,” she said. “He wasn’t thinking about somewhere like North Dakota. He was like, ‘Whoa.’
“He talked to the coaches and told them that he had to get me a whole new wardrobe.”
To submit an On Scholarship candidate, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
