By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Dylan Salmo will get a chance to set records — digging or maybe hitting ones, too — as a member of Judson University’s inaugural volleyball team.
The Pahoa senior signed a national letter of intent with Judson, an NAIA school in Elgin, Ill., about 45 miles away from Chicago.
The Eagles will debut men’s volleyball for the 2017-18 season in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Salmo went fishing for a scholarship on the popular recruiting website ncsasports.org (Next College Student-Athlete) and hooked up with Judson.
“The coach (Steve Burmaster) saw my profile and said, ‘You look like someone who would be a great addition to our men’s volleyball team.’ He liked my ball-handling and passing,” Salmo said. “I was excited because I really wanted to play volleyball after high school. I was shocked they were looking at me.”
On his video profile, Salmo is seen making pancake digs that send the ball on a dime to other Daggers.
He has a 3.2 GPA and plans to major in Exercise and Sports Sciences and hopes to become an athletic trainer.
“I’m the first in my family to go to college and get a scholarship,” Salmo said. “My cousin Kealan Padilla inspired me to work hard and put myself out there. He had a profile, too, and encouraged me to put out a profile.
“I like the small class sizes, and the location is about 40 miles from Chicago. I’m the type that wants to explore, and I’ve never been to the mainland before.”
Padilla, a 2016 Pahoa graduate, is playing ball at Graceland University, an NAIA school in Iowa. A Yellowjacket teammate is setter Kainoa Snively, a 2016 Kealakehe grad.
After his cousin graduated, Salmo didn’t fill his role as Pahoa’s libero. Instead, the 5-foot-5 Dagger is a setter/outside hitter.
The men’s volleyball net height is eight feet high, but Salmo has no problem getting his hands above the net for a block.
“He brings ball-control, passing or setting,” Pahoa coach Kahea Rodrigues said. “He has multiple roles. If needed, he could play libero but also hit as a smaller player.
“Off the court, he seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders and knows school comes first and sports second.”
He’s likely ticketed for libero as an Eagle, but Salmo is enjoying his double duty as the Daggers chase a return to the HHSAA Division II state tournament.
Konawaena is the defending BIIF Division II champion, and Pahoa is the runner-up. Hawaii Prep and Kohala were eliminated in the league semifinals.
It’ll be another season of parity as teams chase the six berths to the BIIF Division II tournament, which starts Tuesday, April 25.
Salmo got sound technical advice from Rodrigues, who played for UH-Hilo. He also learned under the wing of his cousin.
“If there was a hole in the block, Kaelan always knew where the ball was going to go,” Salmo said. “Coach always tells us to stay consistent and parallel to the net and keep the weight in front of us and be on our toes.
“I like being a setter and hitter. I actually get to hit.”
His parents Sherwin and Marites Salmo gave him sound advice, too.
“They’ve told me to work hard for the things that I want,” said Salmo, who’s in the school’s Future Famers of America club and also serves as a role model.
His sister Desirae Salmo is a freshman on Pahoa’s junior varsity volleyball team. Maybe she can be the next family member to land a scholarship.
“She said that she wants to be like me and go to college,” Salmo said. “That made me happy that I’ve inspired her to want to go to college and play at the next level.
“I always help with her passing and tell her to never stand in the back row. I told her to study hard, too.”
