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Part machine, part krabby patty special sauce.
Tayli Ikenaga was a jazz dancer. Hip-hop dancer. It was 2008. She followed mom Lori and older sister Cobi to the studio. Mom had her dance class. Tayli and Cobi leaped into theirs. Long before volleyball became the passion of her life, Ikenaga thrived on the dance floor.
“Tayli and Cobi Shay danced for years. They had good rhythm and fancy footwork,” Lori Ikenaga said. “They did several performances, which were great experiences. Tayli loves music. The house is always rockin’.”
Fast forward to 2019. Thursday night, Sept. 12. Moanalua and Kahuku, two girls volleyball powerhouses in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, are going head to head in an epic battle. Ikenaga is Moanalua’s terminator, a weapon on the left, the right, and even from the back line. Especially from the back line. But in the third set, she injures her right foot. As she gets treatment, Na Menehune stumble and Kahuku takes a 2-1 lead.
Ikenaga returns for the start of Game 4. Setters Aaliyah Allagonez and Allexis Iramina feed the 5-foot-6 junior. Kill. Again, kill. Again, a third kill. After her fourth kill of the set, Moanalua leads 5-4. Her foot is throbbing, but she plays on. In the fourth, Ikenaga has 11 kills in 15 swings and Moanalua pulls out a 25-21 win.
She adds four more kills in the decisive fifth set, capping a 26-27, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11 victory for Moanalua (6-0). Ikenaga finishes the match with 28 kills (.417). In 60 swings, she has just three hitting errors, all after the injury. She’s a dig machine in the back row, which might prove to be her ticket to the next level.
A swing queen
Her swing from the 3-meter line is impeccable in its unpredictability. Never too light. Never too heavy. Always precise. It is a weapon that keeps Moanalua rallies alive.
“I don’t know where I’m going to hit it until I go up,” she says.
The ticket to her next destination, though, is likely her ability to play in the back row. Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting believes she’d be a top-three talent statewide if she played libero exclusively.
“Her volleyball IQ is really high. Her platform, she can go a complete 180. She can turn all the way with her body behind the net and still dig that ball,” he said. “She could beat out the top two (liberos) if she plays that position regularly.”
Most of all, she never winces. Part machine? Ikenaga learned long ago to control her emotions. Even her pain. As Kahuku mounted the biggest challenge of the regular season, Moanalua’s go-to hitter had a consistent spirit. Coach Cabanting calls it Ikenaga’s “poker face.”
“I try not to show my feelings during a game. If another team sees me struggling, they’re going to take advantage of that. I just try to keep a straight face, hide my emotions, talk to my teammates about it so it gets better,” she said. “My coach (Barney Choy) said when you’re frustrated, don’t show it on the court, don’t show bad body language.”
Even on a questionable call.
“I might turn around and talk to myself,” she said.
Another constant: the headband. Unless she lets her hair down, Ikenaga wears one of her trademark headbands.
“I use headbands to keep my hair out of my face, but now it’s also so my family can find me on the court. I have a lot of headbands, more than 20 for sure,” she said.
Practical in the physical world. But there is also the krabby patty, which plays a crucial role in her favorite TV show, “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Ikenaga and her teammates all share that essence.
“A krabby patty is basically bread, has the meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, ketchup, mustard,” said Ikenaga, who has a krabby patty pillow. “It has, like, the special sauce, which is basically SpongeBob’s love. He loves cooking, and his love makes it really good.”
Na Menehune cook up some exquisite volleyball and krabby patties. Tradie DeBina-Bautista, who had 12 kills against Kahuku, is another weapon who can slice defenses from any location. Middles Madison Williams and America Jones combined for nine kills and nine blocks against the Lady Raiders.
Chemistry carries over
The chemistry of this year’s team carries into to post-practice work in the weight room, and an all-for-one-team belief. For Ikenaga, teamwork is a lifestyle.
“No bullying. I’m part of PEP (peer education). You learn about suicide prevention, awareness of drugs. I’ve seen people around me get hurt,” she said. “First, be a good friend. Be open, you know? If you’re strangers to them, get to know them and help them. If I see something happening, I’ll try my best.”
Cyber-bullying is part of the issue.
“It’s because they’re behind their phone screens, so (victims) don’t know who’s sending it out. They think they’re powerful, but it’s not really like that. It’s probably because they’re jealous,” Ikenaga said.
Sometimes a smile is a form of courage.
Ikenaga doesn’t plan on dancing anytime soon. Maybe when there’s more time, after the competitive volleyball days are done.
“We did whatever our teacher taught us. We performed at Ala Moana,” she remembers. “But right now, it’s sleep, eat, volleyball.”
TAYLI IKENAGA
Moanalua * Volleyball * 5 feet 6 * Junior
Q&A / FAVORITES
Athlete
>> Robyn Ah Mow, Hawaii women’s volleyball coach
“She’s my club coach (at Na Keiki Mau Loa). She was a very great player. As a coach, she is very straightforward. No matter how hard she yells at you, she only wants the best for you. Very intense, but I like the intensity. If a coach tells you ‘Good job’ all the time, you never learn from that.”
>> Food at home: Saimin with Spam
“I can eat that any time of day. Usually, my mom (Lori) makes it. It tastes better when they make it.”
>> Food eating out: Garlic chicken with mac salad
“I really like it at Sugoi’s in (City Square) Shopping Center.”
>> Hobby outside sports
“I used to love dancing, but volleyball took too much time. Pretty much hip hop and jazz (dancing). We all used to dance, my mom and my sister, and my dad (Chad) would help DJ. We would do whatever our teacher taught us. I started when I was 5 years old, I stopped around second or third grade. I’d do it again if I had a chance. Right now, it’s sleep, eat, volleyball.”
>> GPA: 3.7
>> Movie: “Coco”
“It’s that little Mexican boy who sings, like Day of the Dead. It’s a Disney/Pixar movie. It looks cute. I’ve watched it about three or four times.”
>> TV show: “SpongeBob SquarePants”
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