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Keala gets 1 more shot

COURTESY OF COLGATE ATHLETICS
Colgate's Logan Keala, a Kamehameha alum, wants to break through for a conference championship this year after twice suffering losses in the tournament final.

Logan Keala has twice been a win away from getting that all-important championship ring that comes with a Patriot League title.

Unfortunately, this is her last shot.

The Colgate senior has twice played in the championship game of the conference tournament, only to suffer disappointing losses the two-time high school state champion at Kamehameha wasn’t used to.

Now, in her final year, Keala and the Raiders are on a four-match winning streak with two home games left as the postseason nears.

"We’ve won both our games the last two weekends, which is a good sign because they were all against teams we had played against before," Keala said. "I think we’re peaking at the right time."

Colgate, now 8-4 in league play, clinched a playoff spot with a sweep of Lehigh on Saturday.

Keala, who, at 5 feet 10, is one of the smaller outside hitters in the league, has still managed to place second on the team both in kills and digs.

PROFILE | LOGAN KEALA

» School: Colgate

» Height: 5 feet 10

» Position: outside hitter

» High school: Kamehameha (2007)

» Notes: named Colgate’s 2009 defensive player of the year; two-time state champion at Kamehameha; first-team all-state in 2006; lettered twice in basketball; appeared in 108 career matches at Colgate

Her experience has allowed her to make up for the height difference in multiple ways, but there was one point where even Keala was a bit taken aback at the size differential.

"We got to play (three-time defending national champion) Penn State twice," she said. "When you play people that good, you have to do everything you possibly can and it was just an awesome experience."

It’s one of many for Keala, who had never been to New York before deciding to attend Colgate.

But for whatever reason, ever since intermediate school, she felt a weird tie to the East Coast.

"I just always felt like I wanted to go to the East Coast," Keala said. "I’ve gotten to experience so many things here. I saw the Stanley Cup, Bill Clinton came to our school last week, it’s just been so fun because I’ve experienced so much."

Keala’s family will be on hand this weekend when Colgate hosts Army and Holy Cross in its final two regular-season matches before the tournament.

"Hopefully we can keep playing the way we have the last couple of weeks," Keala said. "Just try to ride that momentum into the tournament and get that ring."

Keala, who hopes to take a year off after graduating in the spring with a degree in history, said she wants to stay on the East Coast and work before eventually coming home.

"The toughest thing for me (about leaving Hawaii) was the change in food, because I’m so used to the food back home instead of always having sandwiches and pasta and stuff like that," Keala said. "But other than that, I really like everything up here, the weather doesn’t bother me, and I definitely hope to stay awhile before one day going back (to Hawaii)."

 

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