It wasn't that long ago that Kayla Afoa, Shiloh Peleras and Kili Robins were all playing together, on the same team, on the same court, for the same high school. Now, the three Hawai'i natives are back together again, wearing the Silver & Blue for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Growing up under the sun and on the sand on the islands of Hawai'i, all three were a year apart, with Peleras being the oldest and Robins the youngest. Peleras and Afoa had their time together, and Afoa and Robins theirs. But, for one year, the trio shared the same Kamehameha High School court in Honolulu. Not only did they play together, but they found success together. The three won conference and state championships, the pinnacle of their high school careers. They even made trips to the state of Nevada.

"The tournament in Vegas at Durango was always really fun," Afoa said.

Together, they built memories off the court too.

"We had a fundraiser, called Serve-A-Thon, where we would all raise money and serve," Robins said. "But every group had to do a skit. We did a dance routine based off High School Musical."

"Ya, we got last," Afoa added.

Senior year quickly came for Peleras, who had always had ambitions of going to a Division I school.

"I didn't start recruiting until January of my senior year," she said. "So it was kind of hard to go to a DI."

Peleras committed and played at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college, out of high school. In her sophomore season, she tallied 95 blocks, nearly one per set. She averaged almost three kills a set as well, hitting at a tick of .377 for the season.

As she wrapped up her sophomore year, her coaches started reaching out to multiple schools, including Nevada where she got connected with assistant coach Megan Burton, also a Hawai'i native.

"Coach Megan reached out to me, and I thought it was cool because she was from Hawai'i and that made me feel really comfortable. Plus Kayla was there, and then I heard Kili was coming. I just thought it would be a really fun place to play."

For Robins, the Wolf Pack tie was immediate.

"I just asked Kayla a bunch of different questions," she said. "I wanted to know what the school was like, how the team was, what Reno was like."

Afoa's response to both of them was the same.

"I told them they both needed to come play here."

Robins and Peleras took their official visits together, and committed to the Pack shortly after.

"Even though I was FREEZING, I loved it," Robins said. "Kayla was my host, and it just reminded me that, even though I was far away from home, I still had them."

For Afoa, her sophomore season is following an incredibly rookie campaign in which she became a go-to, two-way player for Nevada. She averaged almost three digs a set, even seeing time at libero. The outside hitter became a defensive stalwart.

Now, the three are on campus together, preparing for the new season and getting settled into their new homes.

"I'm excited to see our energy and chemistry back on the court together," Peleras said.

Peleras, with some experience under her belt, has her own personal goals for the year.

"I just want to get out there and compete," she said. "I know I'm on the shorter side when it comes to being a middle, but I want to just get out there and work hard."

For the freshman Robins, she too knows what she wants to accomplish this year.

"I want to work as hard as I can to try and earn my spot," she said. "We have so many new people this year, and they're all really good. I just have to try my hardest."

"I never thought I'd be playing with both of these girls again," Robins continued. "There's just so many options out there. I thought we'd maybe cross paths, but never be on the same team."

"I think we more thought of it as 'we're going to get to college and play against each other,'" Afoa added. "And just kind of representing home from wherever we are."

Despite their doubts, the three will don the same uniform and share the same court yet again for two more years.