Punahou volleyball pair, Uluave and Fiaseu simply smashing

Lulu Uluave is an outgoing, energizing outside hitter from Laie whose enjoys surfing at Kahana Bay.

Grace Fiaseu is relatively quiet, a tall young lady from Ewa Beach who speaks volumes with action.

No. 2 Punahou (22-8 overall), guided by coach Tita Ahuna, is pushing closer to a state-tournament berth with one of the most balanced attacks in girls volleyball. Fiaseu and Uluave lead diferently but effectively.

“Both of them are team captains, selected by our team,” Ahuna said. “Grace leads by example, works really hard. She’s not very vocal, but the girls really gravitate to her. She has a lot of respect. Grace and Lulu are fantastic leaders on and off the court. Our seniors Melie (Vaioleti), Tanea (Loa), Koen (Makaula) and Jodi (Saelua) all add to our success. They do a tremendous job.”

When Fiaseu gets opportunities, the 6-foot-1 senior uses her repertoire of hitting skills to find gaps from the middle of the court. Uluave, one of the Buffanblu’s outside hitters, brings the energy to keep rallies going, waiting patiently for the right moment to unleash her full fury.

Even with a balanced offense, the numbers for Uluave and Fiaseu are enormous. Uluave has 175 kills, adding seven solo blocks and eight assists. Fiaseu has 133 kills (.375 hitting percentage) with four solo blocks and 21 block assists.

“First impression, I was a ninth grader,” Fiaseu recalled. “It was club season, I didn’t know her. We were at a big tournament all the Hawaii teams play in, the TransPac. I heard this one ball slam to the ground. Granted, I didn’t know her, and one of the coaches told me, ‘That’s Lulu Uluave. This is an eighth grader.’ That’s how she became memorable to me. She was playing I think in 16s for RVCH. That’s what caught my eye, playing with such a high-level team at such a young age.”

The force that derives from a rocket swing comes with a price for some outside hitters. Uluave followed her older brothers — Semisi Jr., Alama and Siupeli — to Punahou. But after freshman season, she injured her right labrum during club play. It was an ongoing pain that she had played through over time.

“I had almost a full tear, but I got used to it. I tore (it) in my freshman year during club season. They sewed it back together. It took three to four months of rehab. I’m still rehabbing. It doesn’t hurt me anymore, but I don’t want it to happen again,” she said. “The problem was I was depending too much on my trap muscle. The ligament needed the muscles around it, my back and front, my deltoid, to be just as strong as my trap,” she said. “I believe every muscle in my body is important, for sure. They all work together.”

Fiaseu remembered Uluave when Punahou had tryouts in the 2020-21 season. Uluave was recovering and rehabbing.

“When I was cut because of my injury, Grace was one of the first to tell me that it’s OK, just prepare for next season,” Uluave said.

The sound of that impact on the volleyball court, nearly two years since the surgery, remains powerful because of knowledge and preparation. Every other day, Uluave arrives from Laie early and enters the weight room on campus.

“Punahou has opened so many opportunities. Having the weight room and locker room open, it’s just taking advantage. I would run a mile before, get my body warm and I’m in the weight room doing upper body or lower body, never both. I’ll always do my shoulder rehab,” Uluave said.

Getting vertical is a way of life. Uluave touches 9 feet, 8 inches on approach, 9-6 from a standing position. At 5 feet, 8 inches tall, Uluave is a classic Hawaii volleyball hybrid who excels at multiple positions. She expects to play libero at the next level.

“Lulu keeps fighting back. She’s a fighter. Grace is fighting back from a high ankle sprain. They never give up,” Ahuna said.

Fiaseu, like Uluave, has a 3.7 grade-point average. At 6-1, she is among the giants in the ILH and any other league. At the Division I level in college, however, 6-1 tends to be the exception. When she plays with her club team, Spike and Serve, Fiaseu rises up against taller competitors on the mainland.

“Ever since freshman year, I’ve been the undersized middle, so I had to work around that. My shots, whether it be a straight kill or a little tip over the blockers, for me it’s viewing how I’m being put up against. If I have two blockers around me, I would find that open area, or tip it to area four, the middle or corners,” she said. “You have to be in that moment to know where you’re going. If my team was a long way from the other team scoring-wise, I would swing at the ball, but when it’s close, playing smart is where I would likely lean forward.”

The patience and trust it takes to play the percentages is a program-wide mentality. Punahou topped Kamehameha last week in a second-place tiebreaker match. On Saturday, the teams met again to open the ILH double-elimination tournament. Uluave had 10 kills as the Buffanblu swept the Warriors. Often, she and teammate Haumea Marumoto (eight kills) saved their missiles for the opportune moment.

“I just believe it’s better to be consistent rather than a terminator. I’ve learned that when I’m trying to put balls away, for that end point, I find myself making errors,” Uluave said. “Being a 6-rotation (player), being in the whole game, I learned that being consistent in the back row with defense, offense in the front row, in the whole set, you’re putting more points on the board.”

For Punahou, the big picture begins long before they enter Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

“We have to be very picky about what we’re doing,” Fiaseu said. “We go in the conference room, watch film for a little bit, and our coaches give us (opposing) hitters’ tendencies. It’s a very long process, especially during practices. All we can work on is what the other tendencies are, what are our open shots.”

The confidence and cerebral approach are key for Punahou’s middle blocker. Experience through club volleyball has honed her approach.

“Without SAS taking me in my eighth grade year, I don’t think I would be where I am in the volleyball life,” Fiaseu said. “I always wanted to go to Campbell High School. I would’ve stayed in my hometown and not grown as much. At SAS, I was playing with older girls. I was always one of the youngest. Devin (Kahahawai), Lucky-Rose (Williams), all these high-level girls on my club team. Coming to Punahou, now I had to play against them. It’s a level of competition I don’t think I can get anywhere else.”

Punahou will meet ‘Iolani today as the ILH double-elimination tournament resumes. The ILH regular season was in musical-chairs mode as Kamehameha, then Punahou, then ‘Iolani rose to the top of the standings and state rankings.

“Our goal was ILH champs and state champs, but pulling away from those wins, one of our main goals was to stick together as a team. Seeing that as we played Kamehameha this past weekend, how we looked so in sync on and off the court, that goal we have for each other is probably what’s going to lead us to success,” Fiaseu said. “It’s us as good players coming together to be one great team.”

Kamehameha and Punahou met in the past two Divison I state championship matches (2019 and ’21).

“Grace Fiaseu has been a key contributor for her team since she joined as a freshman. Her drive and desire for constant improvement have helped her develop into a very highly skilled and talented leader,” Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. “Our team has been battling Grace for four seasons. She is a fierce competitor and a powerful, physical player.”

If not for the injury, Uluave would have made an impact sooner.

“Lulu has made a huge difference on her team. She is one of the primary pins and passers, a very skilled and talented player,” Blake said. “She is very consistent and has amazing court vision, and the ability to make the right decision when the opportunity presents itself. They are well coached by Coach Tita and her staff.”

Uluave’s given first name is Kathleen, but her grandmother, Katalina Wright, made an observation one day.

“Lulu in Tongan means owl. When I was a baby, my grandma gave me the name because my eyes were as big as an owl’s,” Uluave said.

Uluave has an itch to travel one day.

“I would love to go surf in Brazil. They have nice waves in Fiji. I started surfing in third grade with one of my classmates, Belzy, and her family,” she said. “Now, I don’t surf often at all, just during holidays or breaks. Definitely not during season.”

Fiaseu grew up with two older siblings and five cousins in a bustling, busy home.

“I liked it when I had all of them with me. We didn’t agree about everything, but it was good knowing there’s always someone in the house with me,” she said.

Her parents, Christopher and Tanya, met back in American Samoa.

“My mom was in the back of a truck and my dad saw her and immediately told his friend he was going to marry her. They were friends there for a little bit, then my mom’s family moved to Hawaii,” Fiaseu said. “They were in the military. My mom played basketball and volleyball for Moanalua. Then she went to UH.”

What followed is the stuff of borderline legend.

“My dad kind of broke his shoulder or collarbone so that he would have to come here because there was no surgery for that in Samoa. My mom thought he was the craziest person ever,” she said. “They started dating and got married.”

Punahou last won the state title in 2014. Last year, the Buffanblu won the ILH title, reached the state final and were swept by Kamehameha.

“It has been rough and we have our tumbling moments,” Uluave said. “A roller coaster high and down below. These past two games have brought our connection together.”

FAVORITES

Punahou volleyball

Grace Fiaseu

Middle blocker, 6-1, senior

Lulu Uluave

Outside hitter, 5-8, junior

FIASEU’S FAVORITES

>> Movies/shows: 1. “The Blind Side,” 2. “Full House,” 3. “Tangled”

“I’m pretty sure I watched ‘The Blind Side’ over 20 times.”

>> Foods/snacks: 1. Acai bowl, HI Cravings, 2. Hershey’s cookies and cream candy, 3. quesadillas, burritos. “HI Cravings is a mobile truck. Me and my cousin (Talia Tuitele) wait for the truck to come to Geiger Park.”

>> Homemade food: 1. Auntie Leilani’s meatloaf, 2. Auntie Leilani’s scones, 3. Dad’s garlic shrimp. “Auntie Leilani (Tuitele) makes her meatloaf on special occasions like church potluck and family outings. She makes scones on the weekends or after work. She makes it from scratch. I think the first time my dad (Christopher Fiaseu) made garlic shrimp was during the pandemic.”

>> Music artists: 1. Bruno Mars (“Rest of my Life”), 2. Spawnbreezie (“Dear Billy”), 3. Alo Key (“Is This Love”).

>> Team: San Francisco 49ers

>> Athlete: Veronica Stone, former Oregon volleyball player

“Watching her play, she’s my inspiration. Her presence on the court makes a huge difference, and that’s something I want to achieve.”

>> Class: Physical education, Ilima Middle School

>> Teacher: Ms. Celeste Alejo, fourth grade, Iroquois Point Elementary School

“She had me and all of my siblings go through her class. She treated me as one of her own, but she didn’t give me special treatment. She treated everyone fairly. She knew what was hard and she helped each of us out.”

>> GPA: 3.7

>> Funniest teammates: Jodi Saelua, Ava Ahokovi

“They’re just both sarcastically funny. You can never tell if they’re serious or not, but either way, it’s always jokes every time they speak.”

>> Smartest teammate Melie Vaioleti

>> Hidden talent: “I can move my ears without touching them.”

>> Bucket list: “I always wanted to visit Switzerland in the winter.”

>> First sport: Flag football

ULUAVE’S FAVORITES

>> Shows/movies: 1. “The Office” (U.S. version), 2. “Drake and Josh,” 3. “Kickin’ It.”

“You can quiz me about ‘The Office.’ I can answer every one correctly. My favorite character is Dwight. He’s always loyal to the company for sure.”

>> Food/snack: 1. Shrimp pizza, 2. anything with li hing (powder), 3. fruit. “I get shrimp pizza from Pounders here in Laie at PCC.”

>> Homemade food: 1. Mom’s chicken curry, 2. pizza, 3. seafood broil

“My mom (Caroline Uluave) makes chicken curry with corn, carrots, celery. I love her curry. It’s my comfort food.”

>> Music artists: 1. Josh Tatofi (“Perfect To Me”), 2. Maoli (“Unwritten”), 3. Next G (“Know That”)

>> Team: Team USA women’s volleyball.

“I really liked to watch Logan Tom.”

>> Athlete: Elena Oglivie, former ‘Iolani standout, currently playing for Stanford

“She is just a phenomenal athlete that I got to watch growing up here in the islands. I think she opened up a lot of the girls’ representation. Her way of playing the game is graceful. She’s not fancy with it. She’s humble on and off the court.”

>> Class: Science

“My freshman year, it was different, the experiments and testing environments. We got to do some crazy things. We got to make things explode, disintegrate, enlarge and make it smaller. Testing our sense of smell and hearing.”

>> Teacher: Mr. Robert Jacobi, seventh grade, Kaimuki Middle School

>> GPA: 3.7

>> Funniest teammate: Ava Ahokovi

>> Smartest teammate: Melie Vaioleti

“She is committed to Brown. I’ve seen her work ethic, always achieving to be in the hardest classes. Her family is my second family. They were always there for me.”

>> New life skill: Building impromptu movie screens

“We put bed sheets outside, hang it on a tent, and it’s 15 feet by 15 feet. We’ll watch movies and TV shows.”

>> Bucket list: Surfing in Brazil and Fiji

>> Surf spots: 1. Kahana Bay (longboarding), 2. Freddie’s (Haleiwa), 3. Castles (Kahuku)

>> First sport: Soccer