Moanalua volleyball star Kamaluhia Garcia made the right move

There are no regrets for Kamaluhia Garcia.

Kamaluhia, or peaceful, is the way for the 6-foot-1 Moanalua senior off the court. On the court, her left-handed rockets are anything but serene for opposing defenders. Na Menehune were the OIA runners-up last year and are in title contention again this fall.

Time is passing by quickly for the second-year co-captain. The team finished a busy weekend at the Ann Kang Invitational, battling some of the best teams from California and Hawaii. Twice, Garcia’s kills caromed off the heads of opposing would-be passers.

“It hasn’t hit me yet that I’m a senior. I’ve known my teammates since sophomore year and everyone’s matured a little,” Garcia said.

“She’s taken on that role of leadership a little more in this senior year,” Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting said. “When she was younger, she was hesitant to lead. She’s really taking on that responsibility now. She knows she’s going to get set a ton, unlike last year.”

The path to a college education via scholarship involved moving away from pristine Kaumana in Hilo. It wasn’t her idea as a seventh grader. Between year-round club training and, eventually, her huge role at Moanalua, Garcia has been voted to the Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball All-State team twice. Last year, she was No. 4 on the Fab 15, returning as the highest-ranked player in the state. Her most resilient performance was against OIA champion Kahuku in a five-set loss at the state tournament: 29 kills and 13 digs.

There were opportunities at Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12 schools. Garcia had committed to the beach volleyball program at Cal after her sophomore year, but indoor ball was her dream.

Over the summer, Iowa coaches saw her playing in a tournament in Kentucky with Ku‘ikahi. When she was done, the Hawkeyes offered her a scholarship before she was out the door.

“They went up to Coach Kainoa (Obrey) and they said they had a full-ride offer. I was very surprised. I didn’t think a Big Ten school would see me. Iowa was one of my top 10 schools I wanted to go to,” Garcia said.

Garcia visited the school’s Iowa City campus and it felt like home.

“Iowa is very country and laid back. It reminds me of Hilo. The crowd and atmosphere there are amazing,” she said. “I’m going to be an outside hitter and play six rotations. I’m going to have to work hard for my position, show everybody I can play outside.”

Aall the changes and sacrifices add up perfectly. Except for one thing: the comfort of her grandmother, Kathleen Paio.

“I miss her Hawaiian food. Whenever I go over (to Hilo), she just makes it for us. Her beef stew. Hamburger patties. My grandma’s the best at cooking. She’s from Pahoa, but she lives in Kaumana.”

Garcia and club teammate Taina Kaauwai formed a dynamite duo for High Intensity Volleyball Club. Her route to college could have been paved through Kamehameha-Hawaii, where coach Guy Enriques and assistant coach Sam Thomas were well aware of the promising middle schooler.

“I first saw Malu play back in 2018, when she was about 12 years old. Back then, she was already tall. You could see she had a skill set,” Thomas said. “Her growth in the last three years both on the beach and indoors has really propelled her, and her collegiate Division I offers are certainly evidence of that.”

When the family arrived in Honolulu, she went to play for RVCH volleyball club, coached by Luis Ramirez, and beach volleyball coach Lia Hunt at Outrigger Canoe Club.

“I didn’t want to leave my family and friends, but my parents thought it would be a good move to come here. Practicing every day, I started to love volleyball and every aspect of it,” Garcia said.

After Moanalua Middle School, Garcia lost her freshman season to the pandemic. Thomas draws a comparison between Garcia and former Big Islander Tai Manu-Olevao, who later played for Punahou. Coincidentally, Manu-Olevao and her sister, Poli, trained Garcia after the family returned temporarily to Hilo, working out twice a day for eight months. Garcia also trained three times a week with Davis and Kainoa Mitchell.

“When Oahu was sleeping, Malu was training,” Yvonne Garcia said.

When the Garcia ohana returned to Honolulu after restrictions were eased, it was all business. Garcia had a 3.6 grade-point average as a junior. Her cumulative GPA is around 3.4 or 3.5, she said. One of her classes as a freshman, during the pandemic, was with Cabanting, who coaches both the girls and boys volleyball programs. He is also a science teacher.

“I like Coach Alan. He’s a very head-on coach. He wants the best for us, always wants us to try hard and never give up,” she said. “I had him for physics my freshman year. He’s very different as a teacher. He’s more bossy in class. I didn’t really talk to him my freshman year.”

Cabanting got a glimpse of Garcia as a player before she was in his classroom.

“I saw her play for Moanalua Middle School. The high schools post a bulletin for volleyball every Saturday and the middle schools compete. When we hosted, I was like, what do we have from Moanalua Middle? I get to see what Mililani has, what everybody else has,” he recalled. “They had her in the middle, but wherever she was at, they would set her the ball, set her high and let her swing. I said, ‘Who is that?’ ”

Cabanting couldn’t help it. His curiosity was piqued.

“Oh, OK. Is she Hawaiian? I’m crossing my fingers. Please, please, not Kamehameha. Then I saw her here freshman year,” he said. “Yes!”

Kamehameha coach Chris Blake saw Garcia play club volleyball as an eighth grader.

“She was quite physical then and showed great skill. You could tell that she was going to be a good one. She has continued to mature and has worked very hard to increase her repertoire. I was lucky enough to work with her in a volleyball camp last summer and I was very impressed by her coachability and work ethic,” Blakke said. “I saw her play in the Ann Kang last week and she makes the players around her better. She is a unicorn, a rare mix of skill, athletic ability and talent.”

Obrey has seen Garcia’s progress up close.

“I first saw her play as an eighth grader and she already had talent beyond her years. Malu came to play at Ku‘ikahi as a ninth grader, so we are fortunate to see her growth as a volleyball player and as a person. Malu feels at home on the volleyball court, almost like her sanctuary. She continues to be virtually unblockable. Her range and window of attack is almost limitless. Malu’s ballhandling has improved tremendously, and her confidence as a passer matches her hard work. I’m not sure there has ever been a lefty with her skill set and ability to ever come out of Hawaii.”

The Garcia’s lost freshman season, she was voted No. 9 to the All-State Fab 15 as a sophomore. Her strength is increasing. There is plenty of room for her to fill out at the next level.

“That serve is wicked when she gets it in. A little more pop and she’ll catch you,” Cabanting said. “She continues to work. I’ve had conversations with her mom. ‘Coach, these are the activities we’re planning on doing.’ Take the time, be a kid, relax now and then. She’s so passionate and serious about making it to the next level, doing all the work to get better.”

It started with youth volleyball, not long after Garcia gave up rodeo — she fell off a horse, which then accidentally stepped on her head. There was one year of basketball, which her father, Elias, and mother, Yvonne, played in high school. Moanalua has benefited from incoming talent in the past year on the boys side, where Kai Rodriguez, Justin Todd and Zack Yewchuk joined the program as seniors before enrolling at Hawaii.

“When we decided as a family to make the sacrifice for Malu, we were all in,” Yvonne Garcia said. “We told Malu’s older siblings that we need everyone’s support. That meant helping with our family businesses that we have on the Big Island. We miss being with our kids, our grandson and granddaughter and all our ohana. We miss going to family gatherings and picnics at Richardson Beach Park. Family vacations. We have to put all these things on hold until Malu’s journey is done and she goes off to college.”

Her parents’ passion for basketball has an effect on Garcia. Two of her friends, Shailoh Liilii and Braylee Riturban, are key players for Moanalua’s hoops squad. Garcia plans to try out after volleyball season. With a three-step start, she can reach 10 feet and a half inch. In other words, she can almost grab the rim.

“If I make the team, I’ll have fun. My friends are on the team. I like basketball. I’m going to play as much sports as I can. It’s my senior year,” Garcia said.

When there’s club volleyball during the winter, that would take precedence.

“I’m not taking basketball that serious,” she said.

There are fewer and fewer volleyball-basketball athletes in recent years. Among the standouts in those sports was Alohi Robins-Hardy of Kamehameha, arguably the last of them. If Garcia takes a pass on roundball, she will still be grinding in workouts.

“It’s been a lot. I think my parents are happy now because they see all the accomplishments I’ve made, having a chance to go to college,” she said.

Garcia puts a number on her serve.

“I really like my improvement, like an 8.5. I think I have more consistency and more power on the ball. More confidence when I serve,” she said. “My serve-receive my freshman year was not good, but now I can read the ball, open my eyes to the court more. Being a good captain, speaking on the court with my girls, helping them out instead of keeping things to myself. Hopefully, they take it in. Just being there for people.”

She has a message for Moanalua’s hearty fans.

“I’m hoping our fans and school come out and cheer really loud for every game,” Garcia said. “Bring the energy and we’ll give it back.”

MALU GARCIA

Moanalua volleyball • Senior

>> Top 3 movies/shows 1. “Moana” — “I’ve seen it probably over 10 times. They’re coming out with a sequel.” 2. “The Notebook” — “It’s an old show about romance and stuff.” 3. “Twilight”

>> Top 3 food/snacks/drinks 1. Raising Cane’s. 2. Chick-fil-A. 3. Taco Bell. “I like the chicken power bowl.”

>> Top 3 homemade foods 1. Hawaiian food. 2. Grandma’s beef stew. 3. Grandma’s hamburger patties.

>> Top 3 music artists 1. Rod Wave – “Street Runner” 2. SZA – “Garden.” 3. Luke Combs – “When It Rains, It Pours”

>> Favorite class: Marine Science, Earth Science “Those are what I want to major in at college.”

>> Favorite teacher: “I have so many.”

>> Favorite athlete/team: Mokihana Tufono (UCLA/‘Iolani)

>> Funniest teammate: Alexis Iramina (Moanalua/ Chaminade) “I think I’m the funniest on the team now.”

>> Smartest teammate: Haylee DePonte. “She takes the most AP classes.”

>> GPA: 3.6 (2022-23). Cumulative: 3.4.

>> Time machine: “I would probably go to the past and go to my classes that I missed all my work, and go do the work and get a better grade.”

>> Hidden talent: “I used to ride my horse and try and stand on it. My family was in rodeo competitions. My brother-in-law works on a ranch on Molokai.”

>> New life skill: “I know how to hang 10 on a board for 30 seconds. I just learned it a week ago.”

>> Bucket list: “I want to travel the world — Italy, New Zealand and Paris. And I want to go skydiving. My parents would probably say no. Maybe, hopefully before I go to college, I’ll do it. Fingers crossed.”

>> If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self? “To never give up and keep pushing hard even though there are many obstacles in the way, push though them and you’ll accomplish anything.”

>> Shout-outs: “Shout-out to my parents for sacrificing for me to come here. Shout-out to my sister (Cheylee) because she’s a supporting sisters. Shout-out to my brother guys, my grandparents, my friends and family.”