The moments of execution and deception were almost countless for this maestro.
‘Iolani’s Bailey Nakanelua was the epitome of a complete player, but where it matters most to her, it was a painfully close miss. She and her young teammates dominated for most of the season as she delivered every kind of set from her setter position. Her all-around play from start to finish stuck with the panel of coaches and media in the Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball All-State voting. The 5-foot-11 junior was voted Player of the Year.
“Bailey’s strength is her range, her ability to get to any pass and better the ball for her attackers to take a good swing,” ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. “Passers can feel more comfortable passing to a bigger target area. Bailey keeps us in system to attack the ball at a high percentage. Beyond that, her volleyball IQ helps the team play at a high level. Bailey has a grit and toughness to play the game with full effort.”
In ILH and state-tournament play, Nakanelua amassed 647 assists, 154 digs, 47 kills and 19.5 total blocks. She also had 14 aces, including a season-high four in a win over Kamehameha on Oct. 17.
“I think Bailey did an excellent job of developing her younger hitters. She progressed them as the season went on,” Kapolei coach Naidah Gamurot said. “I thought her spiker and set choices set them up to succeed. She did what a setter’s supposed to do — make your hitters look good. Also, to have a 5-11 blocking setter traversing the front row is pretty special. She was an integral part of their blocking defense.”
Low-key on the floor, Nakanelua is a master of poise and eternal confidence — 99% composure and a sprinkling of swagger.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but it shows how much time and effort I put into this sport,” she said. “It brings out a different side of me. A lot of people have helped me. Thank you to everyone who’s helped me to be the player I am and who I am today.”
Nakanelua was sometimes at her best with airborne, acrobatic deliveries reminiscent of another ‘Iolani great: Kawika Shoji. Coincidentally, she has trained with the former U.S. Olympic team setter the past three years.
“Coach Kawika teaches me mentality and confidence, my mental toughness, my effort when I play. He also helps me understand the game more. This past season, I had to guide my team through some tough moments,” she said. “I’ve seen video of him playing. He’s super good. I’m not as good. I think just take things from him, learn and use it.”
“Bailey’s a really quick learner, so we can do really high-level training,” Shoji said. “It’s taken her game to new heights. It’s going to be fun to follow her at the next level.”
“She’s better than me at this age. She’s a more complete setter. I liked to be an all-around player and she’s definitely a great all-around player. Plays great defense, gets everyone involved. She’s very agile. I’m glad she’s getting notoriety.”
Nakanelua committed to Ohio State, where she made an official visit earlier this year.
“I heard from Coach Kawika after they saw me. He was talking to them about me and saw videos of me. When I went to Florida (with Ku‘ikahi Volleyball Club) last summer, their coach came down,” Nakanelua said.
Before the Buckeyes showed interest, she wasn’t familiar with their women’s volleyball program.
“I knew they have a good football team. My uncle (Haskell Garrett) went there. I started googling them. They are pretty legit. There’s potential,” Nakanelua said.
She visited unofficially once, then made the official visit in the fall.
“It’s pretty insane. They have a super big campus and the environment is good. I like the people there,” she said. “They took us to the football game.”
She also has offers from Utah, Washington, Ole Miss, USC and SMU.
“USC committed a 2025 setter before me, so they said I would have to redshirt,” Nakanelua said. “And one of the coaches left.”
Nakanelua grew up playing soccer, but latched on to volleyball after following older sister Paige to club practice. She was a setter with RVCH and coach Luis Ramirez.
“He was a setter, too. He taught me the basics and made me who I am,” she said.
She left RVCH, where she played with the older team, and went to Mauloa to play in her age bracket. One year later, Nakanelua was with Spike and Serve. She was still in middle school.
“I wanted to go back to RVCH, but my parents wanted me to play with the 12s,” she recalled. “When I think about it now, I was pretty decent. I understood the game, but I still had a lot of stuff to go deeper and understand.”
She sat out of volleyball as a freshman at Maryknoll before being accepted at ‘Iolani.
“I applied for Kamehameha and Punahou, but I did not get accepted,” Nakanelua said.
With the Raiders, she eventually became a full-time player with Obrey’s Ku‘ikahi club team.
“Coach Kainoa definitely holds me accountable. He understands me and supports me through a lot of things. Whenever I’m around him, I’m allowed to be myself,” she said.
Fab 15 voting was tight, closer at many slots than usual, including the very top. Kalaweloilehua Chock of Kamehameha had one of the best postseason runs in recent memory. The 5-foot-10 junior brought a bazooka arm, impeccable timing and finesse, and elite court vision.
“Kala’s strength is not only her power, but her vision as an attacker. She was reliable and at times unstoppable,” Obrey noted. “Like Bailey, Kala plays with a high volleyball IQ. She can see the entire court with her eyes closed. She raises the level of her teammates and they play with confidence.”
Chock had 232 kills, 120 digs, 14 assists, 14 aces and 18.5 total blocks. In the state final, she had 17 kills, nine digs and two assists as the Warriors captured the state championship in a four-set win over ‘Iolani. Coincidentally, Nakanelua and Chock were once teammates, playing for Maryknoll’s middle school team.
“We went to school together at Maryknoll and we’ve been playing (club) volleyball together since we were 8 or 9,” Chock said.
Nakanelua barely knew the difference between the Star-Advertiser All-State voting and other awards. It hardly registers a blip compared to what she really wants.
“It still makes me mad that we lost (to Kamehameha). I can’t even watch it even now,” she said. “I’m happy for my best friend, Kala Chock. I would rather give this (Player of the Year) to her and have a state championship instead.”
Chock has the same mindset.
“For both of us, we like to win. We’re very competitive. If it’s between the two of us, we care about each other and if one of us wins, we’re happy. We’re proud of the hard work we’ve accomplished over the years,” Chock said. “It’s crazy because we get to see how we’ve grown in volleyball, mentally and physically. I’m so proud and happy for Bailey because she’s really stepped up. She’s been a leader for ‘Iolani and continues to be a role model for all the young girls in Hawaii. It’s great to see how much we can impact the game and the state of Hawaii.”
Chock’s mother is former UH player Toni Nishida-Chock.
“It’s kind of crazy because I didn’t know much about my mom. I picked the number 14 way back when I was 12 years old. Then she told me, ‘Hey, that’s my number.’ I’ve seen video of her. She’s all right. I was kind of surprised,” Chock said.
The panel voted Blake as the Coach of the Year after he guided Kamehameha to its 13th state crown under his watch. The Warriors were 25-9 overall. They lost to ‘Iolani three times in the regular season before winning a wild five-set match to win round two of the ILH season.
After losing to ‘Iolani in four sets for the ILH title, Kamehameha swept Konawaena, Baldwin and Moanalua before toppling ‘Iolani in the state final.
“It’s a big honor for us, for our staff. Coach Daryl (Tamashiro), Coach Uila (Peaua), Coach Cassidy (Owens), Coach Kaleo (Augustin) helping our players on their journey,” Blake said. “ ‘Iolani was a stupendous team. They continued to push us to do the things we needed to do to improve. As we neared the end of our season, we began to figure things out. We were able to play our best match in the last match of the season.”
Obrey was second in the balloting after guiding a young team nearly to the top. Kapolei coach Naidah Gamurot was third in the voting.
Her team was OIA runner-up, then edged Kapolei and Kamehameha-Hawaii to reach the state semifinal round.
Hawaii Baptist coach Myles Shioji was fourth in the voting after leading the Eagles to the Division II state championship. It is the Eagles’ fifth D-II state crown under Shioji.
Alan Cabanting of Moanalua was fifth in the voting after leading Na Menehune to their fourth OIA championship under his watch.
Also receiving votes were Tracie Balino of Campbell, Al Paschoal of Baldwin and Taylor Souza of Le Jardin.
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STAR-ADVERTISER’S FAB 15
RANK, NAME, SCHOOL POS. HT. YR.
1. Bailey Nakanelua, ‘Iolani S 5-11 Jr.
2. Kalaweloilehua Chock, Kamehameha OH 5-10 Jr.
3. Kamana‘o‘okalani Goldstein, KS OH 5-9 Sr.
4. Poema Kalama-Kingma, ‘Iolani OH/OPP 6-2 So.
5. Zaria Queen, Moanalua OH 6-1 Sr.
6. Callie Pieper, ‘Iolani OH 5-11 Sr.
7. Marisa Nakata, Hawaii Baptist OH 5-9 Sr.
8. Georgie Lee, ‘Iolani M 6-2 So.
9. Ashli Lum, Kamehameha L/DS 5-5 Jr.
10. Cha’lei Reid, Kahuku OH 6-1 Sr.
11. Leila Paraoan, Kapolei OPP/OH 5-9 Sr.
12. Taimane Ainuu, ‘Iolani OPP 6-0 Fr.
13. Kealoha Cox, Punahou OH 5-7 Jr.
14. Kaila Kalama-Bajet, Moanalua S 5-10 Sr.
15. Tiahna Aldeguer, Kamehameha S 5-7 So.
Player of the Year: Bailey Nakanelua, Kamehameha
Coach of the Year: Chris Blake, Kamehameha
HONORABLE MENTION
>> Sydney Kennedy, Le Jardin
>> Kalamakuokanaauao Crabbe, Kamehameha
>> Lilinoe Paschoal, Baldwin
>> Jazzahlei Satele-Filifili, Kalaheo
>> Jerney Tang-Silva, Moanalua
>> Kahealani Moriwaki, Punahou
>> Kylie Ancheta, Hawaii Baptist
>> Katelynn Albano, Hawaii Baptist
>> Ariana Naipo, Baldwin
>> Sydni Gardner, Le Jardin
>> Katlin Kiko, Kapolei
>> Jourdyn Kekauoha-Viena, Kalaheo
>> Natalie Fukumoto, Moanalua
>> Mia Polloi, KS-Hawaii
>> Anny Scott, Kapolei
>> Alohalani Chun, Kamehameha
>> Kealoha Lyons, Kamehameha
>> Destiny Look, Mid-Pacific
>> Maile Kuamoo, KS-Hawaii
>> Kealananea Stephens, Mililani
