KEAAU — Christian Liberty Academy middle blocker Zack Suffern has hitting help, and his fellow seniors are hungry to follow in soccer’s footsteps.
The Canefire defeated Keaau 25-12, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18 in a BIIF match on Monday night at their Old Mill Fieldhouse, where one goal is to play in the comforts of home during the postseason.
Suffern pounded 28 kills on 52 swings, made seven errors and hit an efficient .404 for CLA (5-1), which finished with 56 kills and 35 unforced errors.
In previous years, when Suffern, a 6-foot-1 senior, rotated to the back row, the offensive firepower slowed to a trickle. But 5-10 freshman middle Josh Rushton has emerged as a solid tag-team partner. He clobbered 16 kills.
Besides Suffern, the team’s other core seniors are: setter Jesse Nagatori, hitter/setter Kawika Aguilar, and hitter Terrcin Allen (three kills).
The other promising youngster is 5-11 opposite Chase Cobile (three kills), who gives the Canefire nice length in the front row.
Shane Namnama blasted nine kills, and Braden Pagala and Styles Primacio had six kills each for the Cougars (3-5), who had 33 kills and 33 unforced errors.
In Game 2, Keaau had more kills than giveaway points, 11-6. The visitors stopped beating themselves for one set, and the Canefire had 14 unforced errors.
Suffern was on fire in the first set. He smoked nine kills on 11 swings with only one error and hit .727. He cranked balls, dropped offspeed shots, and made good use of every open space the defense offered.
“We’ve got a few new recruits, and they’re definitely working very hard,” Suffern said. “We did a lot of training before the season. Our goal is to play our best.”
Before the season, Suffern played on Canefire assistant coach Josh Mason’s Ho’okahi club team, which played other Big Island squads in Moku O Keawe competition.
The Canefire also had a chance to see their coach play at the 61st Haili Tournament. Mason’s Sons team fell to Oahu’s Aloha Days in the men’s AA championship.
Suffern plans to major in mechanical engineering at Grand Canyon and play club volleyball. Avery Enriques, a 2017 Kamehameha graduate, is a libero for the Antelopes.
Before that happens, CLA coach Gary Oertel is hoping his Senior Four can pull a major upset. The Canefire have never been to the HHSAA Division II tournament before.
But miracles do happen. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is proof of that, the first No. 16 seed to take down a No. 1 seed, Virginia.
“We’d like to make a playoff run. We’ve made the playoffs for several years but haven’t gotten past the first round,” he said. “We need to take care of business in the White and Blue division and host a first-round match. Then if we get past that, we’d be on the road at Konawaena or Hawaii Prep. Then who knows?
“We’d like to get past that second round and go to states. Soccer always did it. We’d love to do the same.”
Speaking of soccer, this past winter season was the first time the Canefire didn’t participate. Soccer has been the flagship program. The team has been to states in 2008, ’10, ’12, ’13, and ’14.
Oertel acknowledged that it was tough for the school to shut down the sport because of soccer’s success. But he also pointed out the obvious. There are 45 high school students, including 19 boys.
It’s an achievement in itself that there are 12 players on the Canefire’s volleyball roster, including those four key seniors: Suffern, Nagatori, Allen, and Aguiar.
Oertel joked that one reason for the team’s winning record is because there’s a good ratio of players to coaches. Besides Mason, the other assistants are Peter Rushton, Josh’s dad, and Meghan Degele, who played college ball as a libero.
“We’ve got a 3 to 1 ratio,” he said.
Most likely, the Canefire will field JV boys and girls basketball teams during the next BIIF winter season. Matt Summer is coaching teams on the intermediate level.
“We just need to find coaches for Matt,” said Oertel, who’s got almost everything he needs with his volleyball team.
He’s got a hammer in Suffern and a potential heir in Rushton.
“Josh is full of energy. He’s got good hops, and he gets off the ground,” Oertel said. “He’s still a freshman, and we’re working with him to play the whole game smart. But he’s athletic, and his athletic ability serves him well.
“Zack works so hard and hits the ball well. He’s smart with his decision-making. He can pick and choose his shots. Jesse is my fourth-year setter, and he’s a rock. Our first six is very solid, and they’re doing a great job.”