Emi and Mahina Pua‘a, sisters on the Arizona volleyball team and Punahou graduates, have considered each other best friends since they were children.
Because she is a year older than Mahina, Emi was the first to leave home in pursuit of her collegiate volleyball dreams. She didn’t know it at the time, but she was leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for Mahina every step of the way.
Emi started out her college career at Iowa Western Community College. After two seasons there, she transferred to Arizona. Mahina took the exact same path to Tucson, where she is a junior.
Despite the closeness between the two, they maintain that they aren’t a package deal.
“It kind of just worked out like that. When Emi first went to Iowa Western, it was my senior year and I was still looking at places to go,” Mahina recalls. “I ended up taking a visit there and I loved it. My sophomore year of college when Emi was at Arizona, I happened to be recruited from them and it kind of just worked out for us.
“We never really planned to go to college together, but it worked out well.”
The lifelong bond doesn’t make them any less tough on each other, and there is no shortage of competition between the two.
“When we were little, our dad would take us to the track since we lived next to Kalani High School and we would just race,” Mahina said. “The competitiveness was always there.”
“If one person’s doing better, the other wants to push to do a little more and be better,” Emi added. “We’re never settling and we’re always trying to be better because our parents always tell us there’s someone better than you out there, so always stay humble.”
Mahina is a setter, while Emi is a libero/defensive specialist. Although Mahina was the only one between the two to earn NCJAA All-America honors, Emi has seen the court more at Arizona. Mahina has appeared in 35 sets this season, while Emi has played in 101 of them. During Emi’s junior year, she was one of two Wildcats to play in every match.
Being that it’s Emi’s senior year with Arizona, the two understand that they probably have just four matches matches left to play with each other. At 14-14 overall and 4-12 in Pac-12 play, the Wildcats are unlikely to be selected as an at-large to the NCAA tournament. Emi says she’ll relish the last four contests, just as she’s cherished the last four years. The Wildcats close the season with home matches against No. 10 Washington, No. 22 Washington State, UCLA and Arizona State.
“It’s just been a blessing. We grew up playing with each other, playing from high school to JUCO to a big D-I,” Emi said. “It’s been awesome to have each other and lean on each other when we’re physically and mentally exhausted. It’s just been a great experience.”
When their playing careers are over, both are looking to extend their academic pursuits. Mahina, who is a communications major with a minor in business, hopes to earn an MBA in the future. Emi is also a communications major, and she’s aiming to stay in the volleyball world as a coach or counselor. She may even be a graduate assistant for Arizona next year if the position is open.
“That would be really cool,” Emi said of the possibility of being on Mahina’s team for one more year. “That would be awesome if a spot could open up, but we’ll keep our options open for now.”
