TicketsSept. 28, 2011
By Shawn Sell
A look at this season's UC volleyball roster reveals that junior defensive specialist Karen Onuki's hometown is listed as Troy, Ohio. But her road from the town approximately 70 miles to the north of the Queen City to UC's campus is much further. In fact, it spans nearly halfway around the world.
Karen, the daughter of Masaru and Mieko Onuki was born in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan, a city approximately 60 miles north of the country's capital city, Tokyo. Growing up, she lived a typical Japanese life and started to pick up the sport of volleyball around the age of 10, due in large part to many family members, including her mother, playing the game. Onuki's normal life in Japan started to turn not so normal as she approached her high school years, though. Her father, employed by Iwata Bolt, was given the opportunity to advance in the company, but it met a move halfway around the world to the United States. For her part, Karen wasn't too keen on the idea and for good reason.
"He moved up (in the company) and his boss told him that he needed to move to America," she says. "I really didn't want to move because I couldn't speak English at all and it was really hard until after the first year."
Once the Onuki's made the move, they settled in the town of Troy when Karen was 14. Karen quickly noticed that things weren't quite what she was accustomed to back in her native land. After she started to get acclimated to "everyone being taller and everything being bigger," there was the matter of the level of volleyball being played compared to what she was used to.
"I think the level of volleyball play is higher up until about college (in Japan)," she says. "When I came here in the eighth grade, I didn't think my team was very good. But the college volleyball is definitely better here."
Things started to improve when Onuki reached high school as she became a four-time all-conference selection and team MVP, leading the Trojans to a conference championship in 2008. Also while in high school, Onuki twice attended camps at UC, catching the eye of Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara.
"It was kind of weird because she came to our camp when she was a sophomore or junior in high school and we were like `who is this kid?'" Sunahara recalls. "She stayed in touch with us and came to our camp again and decided she wanted to come here."
What has impressed Sunahara the most about Onuki is her touch when playing the ball in the back row. He also praises her ability to make tough plays, but still thinks Onuki can be even better before her career closes.
"She has a good touch and she makes the hard plays but what we are trying to get her to do is make the easy plays," Sunahara says. "I think a lot of it is her focus because her reaction is good, but when it's easy, she doesn't have to focus as much. She has been a good person to have on our team. I think she is a funny kid and has a good sense of humor and the kids like to have her around."
After joining the Bearcats as a walk-on for the 2009 season, Onuki has seen her role (and playing time) increase since arriving on campus. At 5'4" Onuki is best served as a defensive specialist, a role she has worked hard at improving on.
"Defense is my best skill," she says. "Reed really wants me to improve so he stays on me to work hard and I want to get on the court so I do it."
"I think she has matured a lot," Sunahara adds. "When she was younger, she would be great in practice and then get in the game and would get really nervous and wouldn't play as well as she did in practice. So it was hard for me to put her in a game, but now I think she feels a lot more comfortable and has done a good job for us."
As a freshman, Onuki saw action in 17 matches, averaging just under a dig per set. A year later, she took the court in 26 contests, improving her stats to 1.33 digs per set. She continues to be a valuable defensive asset this season, averaging 1.39 digs per set, including a career-high 20 digs in a recent win over Evansville.
While she still has plenty of time to determine her post-college plans, Onuki, a communications major, already has her eye to the future, both on and off the volleyball court.
"I don't know exactly, but maybe be a translator," she says of her future plans. "I also think about playing for a semi-pro team back in Japan as well."
A return to her native land of Japan would make for quite a full circle for Karen Onuki. Even though her hometown is listed as just 70 miles away, that doesn't do it justice. It's more like halfway around the world.