The Aloha Volleyball Association 14U boys team poses for a photo. The boys won gold in their division at the 2026 TransPacific Tournament on Jan. 17-19 on Oahu. Courtesy photo

The Aloha Volleyball Association of Maui participated in the TransPacific Tournament from Jan. 17-19 on Oahu, and the 14U boys team secured gold for the first time in the team’s history.

Entering the tournament featuring many divisions playing on multiple courts at the Honolulu Convention Center and other venues, the 14U boys team went 8-1 on the weekend while winning 17 of their 20 sets.

In their final match of the tournament, the Aloha Volleyball Association rallied from a first-set loss to defeat the runnerup, the Spike and Serve Ho’oikaika Volleyball Club, 21-25, 30-28, 15-9.

“In practice, we design drills that create game-like scenarios, where the team has to navigate the game by working from a deficit,” coach Hanalei Alapai said. “That is exactly what helped us in the second set — staying calm and scoring a string of points.”

The team includes Auden Fuetsch, Ivan Jeoung, Cody Kea, Laakeaokalani Padilla, Hudson Schultz, Bryce Cunningham, Ethan Tillotson and Wyatt Gonzales.

“What I’d really want to come from this significant win at the 2026 TransPacific Tournament is for this team to be able to look back and be proud of the things that they were able to accomplish and build together at a young age,” Alapai said. “They will soon grow out of this 14s division, where the net gets higher and the game will only speed up, so for now I would just like them to really enjoy this time with each other and work to see what more they can do as a team.”

For the parents of the players, seeing the boys run through the TransPacific Tournament was nothing short of amazing.

“(Last) weekend’s tournament was so super exciting — a real rollercoaster of emotions and just witnessing everyone’s growth over one weekend was phenomenal,” said Nanette Cunningham, one of the athletes’ parents.

Alapai added that the team is also looking forward to more opportunities to compete and hopes to make it to the 2026 AAU Volleyball Championships this summer in Florida with help from the community.

Half of this season’s 14U boys team are first-year players, and the Aloha Volleyball Association takes pride in giving its athletes the chance to train and compete year-round.

Aloha Volleyball Club further supports the game by hosting annual summer beach volleyball camps, helping foster a wider interest in boys volleyball as the sport continues to expand on Maui.

Through these efforts and more, the club aims to inspire boys to join local volleyball programs. Boys volleyball often starts at the club level, and victories like winning the TransPacific Tournament can pave the way for success in high school and college at places like the University of Hawaii, which has a top-tier men’s volleyball team that won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2021 and 2022.

“It’s tough getting boys interested in volleyball because traditional sports like soccer and basketball seem to dominate, but overall, boys VB on Maui is growing every year,” said Scottie Zucco, director of the Aloha Volleyball Association. “Just four years ago, there was just one boys team on Maui.”