Hawaii’s Okino out to prove that hard work matters most

Whether it is in the classroom or on the court, Rika Okino comes to work with her hard hat. It’s not visible when Okino walks into Holmes Hall for her civil engineering classes or into Gym I for volleyball practice, but it’s worn the same as if she were walking onto a construction site with her clipboard and checklist.

That hard hat, virtual or not, signifies Okino is on the job.

It’s how the redshirt junior libero for No. 21 Hawaii approaches life, because anything worth doing is worth doing well.

And it’s been worth the wait to be in the starting lineup for the Rainbow Wahine. Okino waited through a redshirt season and playing behind Savanah Kahakai and Tita Akiu to get the chance, one that has come in her final season.

“So far, so good,” said Okino, who will graduate in May and forego her last season of eligibility. “It’s been a lot of fun with these girls.

“We’ve had some slip-ups, but we’re getting better every day.”

Hawaii comes into today’s match with Big West co-leader UC Santa Barbara (19-2, 9-1 BWC) on a five-match win streak. The Wahine handed the Gauchos their only conference loss, a sweep on Oct. 12 in the Thunderdome.

The win came the night after Hawaii was swept at Cal Poly (16-9, 9-1). The Wahine host the conference co-leading Mustangs on Sunday.

“We need to play confidently,” said Okino, coming off a season-high 12-dig performance at UC Irvine last Saturday. “I think we’re a better team and we need to perform like it.

“We showed it last weekend. Bottom line is we need to play our game. If we do, we’ll be successful.”

Hawaii avenged its Oct. 4 five-set loss to UCI with a convincing sweep last Saturday.

There’s a bit of that revenge factor when looking at the Gauchos (who swept the Wahine last season in the Sheriff Center) and the Mustangs (who have won four of the past five meetings).

For Okino, it’s also two more chances to share the court with her childhood friend Bailey Choy. The two grew up playing youth sports, including baseball and softball for Wai-Kahala and volleyball at Na Keiki Mauloa, and have reunited for their final season of collegiate volleyball.

“I didn’t think about how it’s all working out, coming around full circle,” said setter Choy, playing as a graduate student after three seasons at Utah. “Rika is specializing in something that she loves doing and is doing awesome at it … I’m so happy for her.

“This season her defense has improved tremendously. And just having her on the court and being a leader … she’s very vocal.

“She is a very hard worker, she takes practice and school and volleyball very seriously. She loves what she does.”

That includes school, where Okino was the Class of 2016 valedictorian at Kalani High. At UH she is a two-time “scholar-athlete with highest honors” and had the highest GPA on the team last season.

“I wouldn’t say I’m smart,” Okino said. “It’s more about the work ethic.

“Grades are a measurement to me. It’s a measure of my hard work, as compared to my intellect.”

Her volleyball IQ is high as well. She studied the game growing up, her family Wahine season-ticket holders for some 10 years — “Lower Section EE,” she said — and admired the play of All-Americans Emily Hartong, Kanani Danielson and Kanoe Kamana‘o.

Nothing prepared her, however, for being the “un-lib” when Hawaii experimented with a non-libero offense early on and Okino was used more as a serving sub. Injuries and shaky passing led the Wahine to return to the traditional and Okino to the libero role.

“It was interesting and together we were trying to figure it out,” said Okino, who has played in all but one match with 10 aces and 128 digs. “I was thrown in anytime anyone was struggling. I didn’t mind it. I tried to do my best when called upon and, for the most part, I feel I did.

“What I like is I’m able to run the back of the court, take sort of a leadership role, direct traffic a bit. Defense is a mind-set. Your job is to not let the ball hit the floor.”

Okino said she hasn’t changed her mind about returning to play next season as a graduate student. She’s ready to move on and put her civil engineering degree to use in the private sector, perhaps going into the environmental side.

The present appears to be mirroring the future.

“I feel like my whole career has been putting my head down and working hard,” she said. “It’s been paying off.”