Wishes do come true.
It happened with women’s collegiate beach volleyball officially sanctioned as an NCAA sport beginning this spring.
It happened for 17-year-old Grace Kelso on Monday when the high school junior from Idaho had a chance to play on the T.C. Ching Athletics Complex campus courts with members of Hawaii’s beach team. It was the highlight of a whirlwind Make-A-Wish stay on Oahu for Kelso, diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2013.
There was the Pearl Harbor Memorial tour, Sunday’s Star Wars-themed UH basketball game, a swim with the dolphins, surfing at Queen’s Beach and hanging with the SandBows. Monday’s light drizzle did nothing to dampen the volleyball experience.
"The (UH) girls are so welcoming," said Kelso, who plays volleyball and softball for her high school. "My favorite part? Surfing and this. It was so much more than I expected."
Kelso’s courageous fight against cancer — she’s on her third round of treatment after the previous two failed — will serve as inspiration for Hawaii this season. The SandBows begin this week with the Pac Rim Championships, the first official fall competition in the four-year history of the program.
"We’re just so honored that it was be a wish to be a member of the beach volleyball team at Hawaii," UH All-American Katie Spieler said. "To have her here … she’s just such an awesome person and inspiration going into this weekend and for the rest of the season.
"I think we have a source of inspiration in Grace."
Spieler, who graduated last May, is playing her final season as a graduate student. She likely will be paired with senior Heather Boyan as what Hawaii considers its top pair for this week’s play although the tournament doesn’t call for flight designation.
The event opens Friday with what is being called the "International Competition with two matches hourly at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. and pairs representing the U.S., Japan and Canada. Joining Hawaii on Friday are the reigning AVCA national champions Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes from USC; UCLA’s twin sisters Megan and Nicole McNamara representing their native Canada; and the duo of Miki Ishii and Megumi Murakami representing Japan.
Saturday’s 16-team pairs event begins at 8 a.m. at Queen’s Beach. In addition to the International Competition pairs will be duos from Arizona, Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific in the competition that runs through Sunday at Queen’s Beach.
The second Pac Rim Championships also includes junior tournaments for boys and girls, ages 14-19. Play begins at 8 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
The event was created by former Olympic volleyball player Kevin Wong and put on through his Spike & Serve volleyball program.
The fall tournament aptly reflects the vision of many for the future of collegiate beach volleyball.
"This is something that Kevin and I have talked about, bringing teams in the fall," UH assistant coach Evan Silberstein said. "We wanted to bring top teams here and we have."
"We’re just ready to compete against someone other than ourselves, Spieler said. "The tournament is a little unorthodox but it’s going to be great competition.
"I’m super excited for the first ever fall tournament in the history of the SandBows."
