There’s no quit in Kahakai

There is a little bit of Le’Veon Bell in Hawaii libero Savanah Kahakai.

It was that second effort by Bell, the hard-driving Pittsburgh Steelers running back, that broke the goal-line plane and broke the hearts of San Diego Chargers fans as time expired Monday night.

Kahakai, with football-infused DNA, has that same extra-effort mentality that folks recall her father, Talbot, had as a running back under the late Farrington football coach Skippa Diaz. It’s a head-down, keep-pushing, never-quit attitude that proves something not only to others but to oneself.

Savanah Kahakai had doubts about her ability to play volleyball at the elite level. Add the extra pressure and bright lights of playing for the Rainbow Wahine and it was somewhat overwhelming when coach Dave Shoji offered a scholarship, a rarity for a libero, early in her senior season at Farrington.

Then toss in a transcript that might not meet NCAA qualifying standards and …

It was no coincidence that her campus tour came with a not-so-subtle hint of a stop at the Nagatani Academic Center next to the Stan Sheriff Center.

Kahakai knew how to work hard and applied that to her class work. She also applied the lesson learned from one of her favorite Wahine — former third-team All-America outside hitter Aneli Cubi-Otineru — as to the importance of academics.

Cubi-Otineru was a non-qualifier out of Punahou School and went to the College of Southern Idaho, where she helped the Golden Eagles to the NJCAA national championship. She redshirted her second season at CSI, which gave her three years to play for Hawaii, starting in 2007.

"I did want to play for Hawaii and started watching when Aneli started playing," said Kahakai, who had Cubi-Otineru as one of her club coaches at ‘Ime Ike. "I told my mom I didn’t know if I’d be good enough. If it wasn’t UH … Navy was the only other school interested."

A service academy was an option for financial reasons. That Hawaii had a scholarship was the best reason to allow her to stay home.

Having reached her academic goal, Kahakai had her eye on another — Aven Lee’s weight-room squat record of 315 pounds set during Lee’s Wahine career (1997-2000). Kahakai passed that last spring with a squat of 317.

"I knew about the record when I first came and that was my goal freshman year," Kahakai said. "The strength coaches helped me go for it, told me to keep going, and I was happy and excited to do it."

Next on the list is Kanani Danielson’s bench mark of 180 pounds, set during her All-America career (2008-11). Kahakai’s best is 160 and she said she’ll continue to go for it during the offseason.

Something that likely won’t happen in spring is playing for the BeachBows (formerly SandBows). Kahakai was a force on the AAU junior beach scene during high school, including gold with Faith Ma’afala at the 2013 AAU Pan Pacific Championships at Queen’s Beach.

At that same tournament was current Wahine sophomore defensive specialist Gianna Guinasso, who finished fifth in the event.

"I remember playing against her in club," Guinasso said. "She played outside and was a baller. Plus she had this sick tribal tattoo … We’re 15s and you just didn’t see that every day."

(Kahakai’s tattoo on her right calf is in honor of her infant sister Serenity, who died when Kahakai was 5).

"The thing about being a libero and not just a defensive specialist," Guinasso continued, "is it’s a different mindset. A DS has to be focused and consistent when they come in, but a libero has to be even more so. They are the defensive quarterback.

"That’s Savanah. She’s a super smart player, is really good at reading the game. She is calm, cool and collected. That’s the mind-set."

It suits Kahakai, who loves football but was never allowed to play it. Her parents didn’t want to risk an injury that would sideline their daughter’s volleyball career.

"I told them I wanted to be a running back or a linebacker," she said. "They said no."

Instead, Kahakai developed into an All-State outside hitter for the Governors. She showed off her front-row skills briefly last season during one rotation against San Diego State, where she had two kills and a solo block before closing out the match against the Aztecs from the service line.

Kahakai knows that scenario is unlikely to be repeated the rest of her career, but she’s OK with that. Her focus is to continue to get better in the back row for the eighth-ranked Wahine, who are riding an 11-match win streak into tonight’s match against UC Davis.

Kahakai, slowed last year with a torn posterior cruciate ligament, leads the team in digs with 227, an average of 3.91 per set that has her No. 4 in the Big West. The 5-foot-8 libero has had her best performances in some of Hawaii’s biggest matches, including a then-career-high 19 in the five-set win against then-No. 2 Florida, and 18 last Sunday in the 3-2 win over Long Beach State.

"She’s shown instances of what I had envisioned her being capable of," Shoji said. "She has lot of room for improvement, but she has such natural instincts.

"And she is physically so strong. In another era, she’d have been an outside hitter."

Or, in another universe, a game-winning running back.