Prior to joining the HPU staff, Kabalis-Bianconi coached at Southeastern as a graduate assistant in 2014 and spent 2013 in the same positionat South Dakota State.
Before beginning her coaching career, she spent two seasons at Kansas State where she played in all 226 sets for the Wildcats. Â
In her first year at KSU, Kabalis-Bianconi made an immediate impact as the team’s libero, posting 478 digs as a junior--the ninth most in school history--including five matches with at least 20 digs and a career-high 30 digs in a five-set loss at Baylor. The Wildcats made it to NCAA tourney in the two years Kuulei was there. They then beat Nebraska in a five-set thriller to advance them to Sweet Sixteen in Hawaii.
As a senior in 2012, she ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 3.13 digs per set, recording at least 15 digs in 16 matches including a season-high 18 on senior night against Oklahoma. For her efforts both on the court and in the classroom, she earned Academic All-Big 12 first team honors.
Before joining the Wildcats, Kabalis spent two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College where she helped lead the Cougars to a third place finish in 2009 with a 53-4 record. In 2010, she helped lead teh squad to the NJCAA National Championship with a 43-4 record after posting a NJCAA and school record with 34 digs in the 2010 national title match on her way to earning NJCAA All-Tournament Team honors.
Following her collegiate career, Kabalis-Bianconi played in the Professional Volleyball League for the Florida Waves in May 2013 and helped lead the team to a silver medal in the PVL Championships in Louisville, Ky. She holds a Bachelor's degree in social science from Kansas State University and a Masters degree in science from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
A Hilo, Hawaii native, Kabalis-Bianconi earned four varsity letters in volleyball at Kamehameha Schools and helped lead the team to the state tournament all four years including a fifth-place finish as a freshman. Her Warriors won the Big Island Interscholastic Federation title three times and she received all-state honorable mention from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin as a senior. She also lettered one year in track and field and qualified for the state championship meet in the triple jump.
Ku'ulei comes from a family rooted in volleyball success. Her mother, Carla Carpenter-Kabalis, played for Division II power Hawai'i-Hilo, where she won the AIAW National Championships in 1979 and 1981 along with the NAIA title in 1981. Her mom also served as an assistant coach on the 1988 Hawaii-Hilo NAIA championship team and was inducted to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1989. Her sister Kahala played volleyball at Mesa State College and Division II Chaminade, where she currently works as the Silverswords head coach. Her sister Kaleinani played for junior college power Western Nebraska, where she earned second team All-America honors, she then played one year at Washington State and transferred to play for Division II Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D.
Kabalis-Bianconi, her husband Gianno and their son reside on Oahu.
