Taylor Alicuben and Lehualani Keka didn’t expect to receive a dream vacation and shadow the world’s best national team when they signed to play volleyball at Highline College.
Alicuben, a 2015 Hilo graduate, and Keka, a 2015 Keaau graduate who played at Pahoa, are starters at setter and right-side hitter, respectively, for the Thunderbirds (21-2), who are ranked No. 2 in their conference.
Highline held its August preseason training in Brazil, and had the golden opportunity to watch the women’s national team practice. Brazil won Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games.
The Thunderbirds worked out three times a day, but found enough room to sneak in some brilliant tourist sights, such as the Copacabana, often referred to as the world’s most famous beach, in Rio de Janeiro.