LIHU‘E — Her first name means “black pearl” in Tahitian, and Poerava “Poe” Gantt will soon add some rare jewelry of her own to her collection. When the Kapa‘a High School graduate returns to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa,
LIHU‘E — Her first name means “black pearl” in Tahitian, and Poerava “Poe” Gantt will soon add some rare jewelry of her own to her collection.
When the Kapa‘a High School graduate returns to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., next month, she will take delivery of a state-championship ring for her role in helping the lady Pirates win the 2009 California Community College Athletic Association State Women’s Volleyball Championship, last month in Sacramento.
“Not much people can say they have a state (championship) ring, and I have one,” she said during a telephone interview while home with her parents in Kapa‘a.
After finishing the regular season 18-2, winning the Orange Empire Conference and regional titles, the Pirates were still seeded just fifth in the state tournament at San Joaquin Delta College in Sacramento.
They got to the championship match the hard way, through the losers’ bracket in the double-elimination tournament, losing their first match of the day and tourney, to Sierra College in four games.
They survived day one by ousting host Delta in four games, and if they were going to make a title run it would be by winning two games on the second day of the tournament, and three games on championship day.
That road began with wins over Sacramento City College and Sierra, each in three-game sweeps, and Irving Valley in a three-game sweep to reach the finals against Cypress, which entered the championship game without a tourney loss.
That meant the Pirates had to beat Cypress twice in a row, which they did, the first match in four games, and a single-game tiebreaker for the championship, which they won 25-16.
“We started off trailing by four,” and were “scared and nervous,” Gantt said.
But then the players asked themselves why they were nervous, as they just beat the same team in the match before.
They settled down, and let the scrappy offense and defense take charge, she said.
“It was crazy,” with all the players jumping way off the gym floor when the final kill was recorded.
“It didn’t really hit me until the day after,” when she woke up without a voice because of all the screaming she did championship weekend, she said.
Bruised and sore, the pain was worth it, said Gantt, 20, a sophomore planning on transferring to either Hawai‘i Pacific University or the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in the fall.
“It was a really great feeling.”
During the tournament, Gantt led the Pirates in kills with 96, and was third in digs with 70.
During the regular season, she won her team’s Most Valuable Player honors.
At Orange Coast, she is studying business and hotel management. She will receive her associate’s degree in general studies in May, and has some Mainland colleges interested in her for her volleyball skills, she said.
But she wants to come home, she said.
The Tahiti native is a sophomore outside hitter, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall. She played several sports at Kapa‘a High, and briefly attended Humboldt State University in Northern California on a partial volleyball scholarship.
But she opted to transfer to the warmer climes of Southern California.
Regarding the early stumble in the state tournament, Gantt said she thinks it was just what the team needed. “I’m actually glad we lost.” It made them play harder, she said.
“It actually pushed us to be even better,” to win it all, she said.
“This season was pretty much a dream.”
