KAILUA-KONA — Zach Chaikin never asked questions.
Whatever his Hawaii Preparatory Academy squad needed, the senior standout stepped right in — no qualms about it.
He set, he hit, and ultimately, Chaikin propelled Ka Makani to the top of the BIIF for a second consecutive year with his well-rounded skill set, earning Division II BIIF player of the year, as voted by the league’s coaches, West Hawaii Today and the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
“It feels great, but honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about individual awards during the season,” Chaikin said. “I just did whatever the team needed. I was focused on reaching the top and playing the best for my teammates every time out.”
As a hybrid hitter/setter, Chaikin led Ka Makani in kills (150) and hitting percentage. He was also the team’s best server — with 13 aces against 10 errors — and amassed 220 assists. His best attribute, however, might have been his ability as a leader during Ka Makani’s tough trek through the BIIF’s Red Division, matching up most often with the top D-I squads on the island.
Veteran Hawaii Prep head coach Sharon Peterson has seen a lot of volleyball in her time, but she said she couldn’t recall seeing a player with quite the progression Chaikin had during his four years in a Ka Makani jersey.
“He blossomed this year,” Peterson said. “He has always been a good player for us, but this year he carried the team. He was our captain and emotional leader. He did it all and the award is well deserved.”
Despite his gaudy stat line, Chaikin was quick to reflect the glory to his teammates and Peterson, who hauled in her second consecutive BIIF coach of the year honor.
“She focused on more than volleyball. She focused on the mental game and bringing out the best in all of us,” Chaikin said. “She gave everyone a voice and I think that really gave us an edge.”
Chaikin keeps the player of the year honor in the Ka Makani family, following in the footsteps of Ghar Pautz.
“Last year, Ghar was the primary guy for us and he taught me a lot,” Chaikin said. “But I knew going into this year that we were going to have to replace him and all the other seniors. I was comfortable in that role.”
Unlike Pautz, Chaikin never played club volleyball. The extent of his experience in the sport before his Ka Makani career came at the beach, playing with his family and friends.
Chaikin is the epitome of what Peterson has been able to do with the Hawaii Prep program — grooming athletic but eager greenhorns into championship contending squads.
“I grew up playing a bunch of sports. I never really specialized in one thing,” said Chaikin, who was also a standout on Hawaii Prep’s football team. “The funny thing is, I think with my four years playing high school volleyball, I was probably the most experienced on the team. I tried to use that experience and pass on what I had learned. We all respected each other and played our part and that made it easy.”
Ka Makani players joining Chaikin on the first team are outside hitter Kala Thurston, middle blocker Matija Vitorovic and libero Ryoma Sakakibara, all who will return for Hawaii Prep next year.
“Coming into the season, I didn’t know what we were going to have, but we ended up with this terrific group,” Peterson said. “They showed the desire to learn and would apply what the coaching staff was trying to show them. That’s all we can ask.”
The only problem for Ka Makani was that between injuries, spring break and a well-travelled case of strep throat, the roster was rarely at 100 percent. Inching toward full strength, the team showed its potential and got the attention of the rest of the BIIF in a five-set loss against perennial D-I power Kamehameha.
“We never were fully together this season. It was crazy,” Chaikin said. “When we played Kamehameha and went five sets, that really showed us that we could compete and prove the doubters wrong.”
After some additional hurdles to keep bodies on the court, it wouldn’t be until Ka Makani’s straight set victory over Konawaena for the BIIF title repeat that the roster was firing on all cylinders.
“It was a season of coming and going,” Peterson said. “When they were finally all together, they did a great job of picking up right where they left off.”
For Chaikin — who will be heading to the University of Redlands in California for college — all the success was just gravy on a stellar four years.
“Of course, I loved the BIIF championships and all that. But in the end, I think I’ll always remember the last moments of our season at states,” Chaikin said. “The season was over but we weren’t done. We are all going to be friends moving forward. That was the best part of being on this team.”
Konawaena’s Osaiasi Muti, Alan Cancino Mangana and Nalu Frias rounded out the first-team.
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Division II
First team
Zach Chaikin, HPA, S/OH, 12
Kala Thurston, HPA, OH, 11
Matija Vitorovic, HPA, MB, 11
Ryoma Sakakibara, HPA, L, 10
Osaiasi Muti, Kona, MB, 12
Alan Cancino Mangana, Kona, MB 12
Nalu Frias, Kona, OH, 12
Player of the year: Zach Chaikin, HPA
Coach of the year: Sharon Peterson, HPA
Honorable mention
HPA: Iosua Tufaga, Stormer Horton, Umi Kealoha
Konawaena: Jacob Aukai, Darren Po’opa’a
Christian Liberty: Zack Suffern, Jesse Nagatori, Josh Rushton
Ka’u: Nainoa Ke, Andre Carvalho, Kyson Toriano
Kohala: Maui Hook, Kaid Nickel, Ian Rivera