Article on the Peniatas (Pat Reusse):
www.startribune.com/stories/503/5106803.htmlPatti Blaegen was raised in Arco, Minn., a hamlet where the population currently is advertised as 101. This is next door to Ivanhoe, which is next door to Marshall.
Patti decided there might be more excitement out there than even Marshall had to offer. She went to California and was hanging out on the beaches of Ventura Country.
It was there that the young woman from Arco met Kelly Peniata, a native of American Samoa and fresh out of a hitch in Vietnam. They wound up as a couple back in Minnesota, in the Twin Cities, in 1972.
Kelly met some fellow Islanders. They occupied themselves playing volleyball in the winter. "I think Samoans have a natural talent for the game -- it's the rhythm or something," he said.
Kelly and Patti were married and the babies started to arrive. There were two girls (April and Tammy), a boy (Brian), then three more girls (Karla, Marci and Nyoka). The last four are boys, starting with Brock, an outstanding senior football player at Armstrong High this fall, and then David, Tyler and Allen.
Kelly introduced all the girls to volleyball. They helped make Armstrong a powerhouse in the sport. April played at Macalester and Tammy and Karla at BYU-Hawaii.
Marci turned down mid-major Division I and Division II scholarship offers and walked on at Minnesota in the fall of 2003. Nyoka went to Regis in Denver this fall, became disillusioned and is looking for a new school -- perhaps BYU-Hawaii.
And then there's Brian. He's in Iraq as an infantryman. He called home before Thanksgiving.
"He's OK, but I worry about what he's going to be like when he gets home, after being around all of that," Patti said last week.
The Gophers completed their home season on Wednesday night with a romp over Iowa. Patti was in attendance with her youngest sons. The usual Peniata delegation was one low.
Kelly is in Hawaii, assisting daughter Tammy and her husband with a new daughter.
"Actually, I'm in charge of my 2-year-old grandson," he said Friday in a phone conversation. "I'll probably stay until the Final Four is played in Long Beach [Dec. 16-19]."
This was Dad's expression of confidence that Marci and her Gophers teammates will reach volleyball's Final Four for a second consective year. They will find out the early path for that quest when the NCAA announces the 64-team bracket for the Division I tournament today.
Marci was an effective hitter at Armstrong, even at 5-8. She was a recruited walk-on with the Gophers last fall. Her court time was limited, but she showed a talent and willingness to get on the floor for defensive digs.
Marci was put on scholarship in spring semester. Now, as a sophomore, she's one of the defensive "Three Amigos" for the Gophers, along with Paula Gentil, a junior superstar from Brazil, and Lisa Reinhart, a senior and three-year starter from White Bear Lake.
The outgoing Gentil served as an on-court tutor for Peniata from the day Marci arrived with te Gophers.
"She taught me right away that I had to speed up my game to play in the Big Ten," Peniata said. "When a star player like Paula is diving for every ball, you're going to try to play the same way."
Gentil and Peniata spend a lot of time hanging out away from the court. Paula's mother, Magaly Jereissati, is visiting from Brazil for a month. On Friday, Magaly rode with Patti on the long drive to the University of Illinois for their daughters' final regular-season match.
Brock was home in Plymouth, in charge of his three younger brothers. "No problem," he said. "I have discipline."
The Peniata kids have been well-regarded at Armstrong High for humble attitudes as well as athletic ability. Kelly gives the family's strong connection to the Mormon Church much of the credit for this.
"We also have had our kids involved in a lot of activities," Kelly said. "Keep them active and there's a good chance people will stay on a straight path. The kids feed off each other. We have a big tradition of family, with a lot of support."
The Peniatas have been wealthier there -- in family -- than in finances. Kelly currently is unemployed. Patti works as a substitute teacher. The kids have attended college on scholarships, student loans and with the help of the Mormon church (in the case of BYU-Hawaii).
There is a story about Marci and Nyoka winning all their honors at Armstrong, yet being unable to afford letter jackets. "One morning, there were two letter jackets on our front step," Marci said. "There was a very nice [anonymous] person out there. By the afternoon, we had all of our decals on the jackets.
"It hasn't been bad ... we've had enough to get by. And my family always will be here to cheer for me."
Except Dad, for the moment. He's babysitting in Hawaii.
"It was different tonight, not having him sitting behind the court," Marci said after Wednesday's match. "He's usually back there, giving me a little extra coaching."
