The Long Game

Everything began when Avery Kirkham ’25 told her father, Maui Prep Principal and former volleyball coach Ryan Kirkham, “Dad, I want to play high school volleyball. Will you coach?” The then-eighth grader (now a Maui Prep alumna heading to McGill University) had shown interest in the sport, playing alongside future high school teammates in Pueo Club Volleyball—the school’s alternative to interscholastic sports after competition was halted for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With a keen eye toward building a powerhouse program for the school he has served since its founding in 2005, Coach Kirkham laid out a bold four-year plan centered on his daughter, Avery '25, and her teammates.  “Year one was learning how to play…Year two was learning how to win... Year three was competing with the best... and year four was going after that MIL championship.” And on October 18, 2024, Kirkham and his players made the dream a reality when they hoisted the MIL championship banner after the most superlative volleyball season in program history.  

Building the Foundation

Things were already looking promising for the Pueo girls in spring 2021. With the recent construction of the Bozich Center for Athletics and Performing Arts, the team finally had proper facilities to train and host home matches for the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL). But Kirkham knew the path to MIL glory wouldn’t be easy. Perennial powerhouse Seabury Hall benefited from established club volleyball feeder programs, something unavailable in West Maui. “If we were going to build as a program, our players needed to be doing more than just volleyball during the school season.” In response, Kirkham launched the Kahalawai Volleyball Club in spring 2022 to provide off-season training opportunities for local players. The program would also provide foundational skills for middle school students before their high school years. 

The athletes responded to Kirkham’s vision and got to work. During the 2021–22 season, the team notched two wins. Success for that season was not measured in match victories, but in competitive rallies, set wins, and improved statistics. Each match became a learning opportunity to analyze their play and that of their opponents. Their goal was to learn how to compete, not just play.

The 2022–23 season brought major breakthroughs. The Pueo finished with a winning record for the first time in school history, notched victories against both Division I and II teams, and advanced to the MIL tournament semifinals. The addition of outside hitter Lauren Brown ’25, who joined the team after a year on the mainland, provided a significant boost. At the start of each practice, Kirkham showed clips of collegiate volleyball matches so the girls would be familiar with outstanding play.

The girls were putting in work beyond the fall season. Avery, Ashley Davis ’27, and Sofia Mallari ’26 traveled to mainland tournaments with other Maui club teams. The team capped off their summer break at a four-day camp at Baylor University, led by women’s volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre and his powerhouse team. The camp proved pivotal. The girls faced opponents equal to or better than their skill level. Hearing the same guidance from a marquee coach who had taken his team to the NCAA Final Four made them more coachable. Kirkham observed from the bleachers, gaining invaluable insight, and observing how training philosophies and expectations had evolved during his coaching hiatus. He also felt quite validated that the coach who had guided his team to the NCAA Final Four was dispensing the same advice, encouragements, and chastisment that he was.

The 2023–24 season was their time to pounce. Outfitted in new uniforms and gear, the girls won their own Pueo Invitational preseason tournament at the start of the school year. They managed to defeat every MIL team, except Seabury Hall, which had dominated Division II for years. Maui Prep met Seabury again in the finals of the MIL tournament in Hāna. The second-place finish in the MIL final standings earned Pueo their first-ever berth in the HHSAA tournament on Oahu. There, they secured a thrilling five-set victory over Waipahu in the opening round.

Everything was going according to plan. To overcome the perennial Seabury hurdle, Coach Kirkham teamed up with Athletic Director Zach Bailey to strengthen the 2024–25 schedule. Bailey invited top teams from O‘ahu to participate in the season-opening Pueo Invitational—now in its fourth year. The girls dominated pool play and advanced to the finals, securing the championship against Punahou’s varsity B squad.

The team also committed to off-island tournaments in both O‘ahu and Vancouver. These extra matches outside the regular MIL schedule were a calculated move by Kirkham and Bailey. Veteran players needed to sharpen their skills against elite competition, while younger players—key to the program’s future—required meaningful minutes beyond mop-up duty at the end of lopsided games.

Kirkham also brought in MIL Division I teams for non-conference matchups at the Bozich Center, sweetening the deal by partnering with the Booster Club to provide post-game dinners. More than just additional playing time, these efforts fostered genuine camaraderie with their island counterparts.

All that preparation paid off. On September 27, Maui Prep defeated Seabury Hall for the first time ever—on the Spartans’ home court, during the Spartans' senior night. The crowd was electric, and maybe a little hostile, but Pueo flipped the script, winning 3–1 and matching the energy with fierce focus and celebration. Earlier in the season, they had let a 19–12 lead slip away in a painful 1–3 loss on the Pueo home court. That defeat, Kirkham says, “became part of their mental toolkit.”

The season was not without heartbreak. Sophomore libero Kelsey Reul suffered an arm injury during warmups on Maui Prep's senior night that sidelined her for the remainder of the season. Reserve defensive specialists Lola Doherty ’25 and Zoey Offergeld ’27 stepped up and gained the experience that would prove pivotal in the weeks ahead.

Because the Spartans and the Pueo split their regular-season matches, MIL rules required a playoff to determine the automatic HHSAA tournament qualifier. The match was held at Lahainaluna in front of fans from both schools—and from Baldwin and Kamehameha, who were competing after the Pueo match for the Division I crown. 

Seabury jumped to a 2–0 lead. But if ever there was a team with the fortitude to change the momentum of the game, it was this one. The Pueo roared back, winning three straight sets to seal the victory and clinch the top seed at the MIL championship on Moloka‘i, potentially setting up an unprecedented fourth meeting with Seabury in the tournament finals. The payout from the extra match: increased confidence, exposure, and preparation for championship-level pressure.

Pueo parents and fans came by plane and boat to watch history be written right in front of the eyes. The MIL championship final was a five-set epic. Pueo surged to a 9–2 lead in the deciding set, only to see Seabury claw back to 14–12, double match point for the Spartans. Kirkham called a timeout and reminded them: “The match isn’t over until someone hits 15.” The girls held strong. A superhuman dig by Lola and explosive back-to-backnet  plays by Grace Cardon ’26 closed it out. “It was a perfect mirror of a drill we practiced that morning,” Kirkham said, still incredulous at the ending. The celebration was pure joy—a pool jump to cap off the emotional high. “Can you imagine if we had lost that and had to come back 12 hours later against that momentum?” Kirkham asked. “We didn’t let it come to that.”

The title, the accolades, and the memories are not the only motivations for Coach Kirkham. “It’s rewarding to not only see them experience success (which will vary from year to year), but also to watch as they grow in their skills and as competitors," Coach Kirkham reflects. “Sport teaches so many valuable lessons and can provide such unique experiences…it provided me with those things and I want to provide those opportunities for our girls."

 Looking forward, Kirkham keeps a “longitudinal vision." He’s already begun envisioning lineups up to 2027–28. Offensive aggression is front and center, with Kirkham urging hitters to be “fire-breathing dragons", earning points via aces, blocks, and kills to fill the void left by big hitters. But Kirkham is not worried. The future teams have defensive skills that will more than compensate for the graduated seniors. 

In four seasons, Pueo volleyball transformed from a group learning fundamentals into a disciplined championship contender. Embracing challenge after challenge, they earned their breakthrough, unified by trust in the process Kirkham laid out in 2021. From doubt to dominators, the Pueo brought home a legacy season, and set expectations for greatness to come.