Carey answers the call

Steve Virgen

Sometimes a team’s success can be found in the rarest of places.

Such is the story of the Hawaii women’s volleyball team and its

senior setter Jennifer Carey, who did what was best for the team

throughout her years with the Rainbow Wahine.

This season, Carey, a Newport Harbor High product, shared setting

duties, mainly playing in only three rotations so her blocking skills

up front could help the team. Hawaii Coach Dave Shoji called Carey’s

attitude and her ability to thrive in her role the main reason that

led the Rainbow Wahine to a NCAA Final Four berth.

Carey earned All-Western Athletic Conference and All-WAC

Tournament team honors this season in her new role.

“I would definitely say that was the key to our season,” Shoji

said. “It’s very important for seniors to show that kind of attitude,

because if they show any type of way of being down, then that brings

the rest of them down.

But, she’s actually had a great attitude throughout her four

years. I’m sure she was disappointed these past two seasons, but she

really hung in there and did what the team wanted her to do. It

worked great for her and the team.”

This season of change wasn’t new territory for Carey. Last season

she had to endure the biggest change of her career. In her first two

seasons Carey was the starting setter of the Rainbow Wahine. But in

her junior season, she was moved to opposite.

The move and Carey’s team-first attitude, plus her athletic talent

that allowed for such a move proved instrumental in leading Hawaii to

a NCAA Final Four berth.

“It was a bigger adjustment last season, playing as opposite,”

Carey said in a phone interview from New Orleans, the day after

Hawaii lost to defending national champion Stanford in a NCAA

semifinal. “It’s not my favorite thing to do (playing opposite), so

I’m glad to be setting this season, even if it is only in three

rotations.”

“This season was a really nice accumulation of my four years at

Hawaii,” Carey continued. “We had a great season. It’s all been

great. I haven’t lost more than 10 matches in my career at Hawaii. We

made great strides this season. We accomplished our goal. I got to

the Final four twice, and that’s more than what other people can

say.”

In her senior season at Newport Harbor, Carey also helped the

Sailors to a CIF state championship. Then, she prepared for college

life and selected Hawaii over any other program in the mainland. When

she saw Hawaiians’ love for volleyball and their love for the

University of Hawaii, she knew she wanted to be a Rainbow Wahine for

the next four years of her life.

“Hawaii had the family feel to it,” said Carey, who thought about

playing for USC. “I was really gung ho about USC, but it just didn’t

fit for me. I never regretted Hawaii. It was great to experience. For

me the fans and the way volleyball is appreciated, it’s just so great

to see. We had 7,000 fans there every night. People talk about

playing in front of big crowds and the media when the playoffs roll

around. But we play in that every night. I had that for four years

and I loved it. It’s like being a movie star for four years.”

Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn also said Carey’s choice to play

for Hawaii was the best, because her personality blended well with

the atmosphere.

“I knew Hawaii would be perfect for her,” Glenn said. “It’s

because people love volleyball so much there and I knew Jen was going

to do great there.

She’s a natural leader. She’s just a very unselfish player and

just a giving person.”

Now that volleyball is over, Carey plans to finish up her

undergraduate degree work in business. She will receive her degree

with a concentration on marketing in the spring. Also in the spring,

Carey will work as a liason to Leigh Steinberg’s company based in

Newport Beach. Carey hopes to work in sports marketing, and dreams of

landing a job with the Los Angeles Lakers.