August 13, 2022

Pool A took definitive shape while Pool B built toward an intriguing conclusion on Day 2 of the Ann Kang Invitational on Friday Aug. 13 in Honolulu. Saturday is the final day of play as the two pools wrap up and head to crossover play to determine final finishes. The top two teams from each pool make the semifinals. In Pool A, there’s no guess work needed as Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon are both 6-0 with one match left. It’s against one another, so one will advance at 7-0 while the other will make the semis at 6-1. Pool B is a different story. Palos Verdes is 6-0 but could wind up in a three-way tie. Both ‘Iolani and Redondo Union are 5-1. Harvard-Westlake is 4-2. Redondo and Palos Verdes face off Saturday morning, while Harvard-Westlake and ‘Iolani are paired together as two of the four will reach the semis. Sierra Canyon secured an important victory over Punahou, 23-25, 25-23, 15-12, to start Day 2. Punahou is 4-2 but can’t make the semifinals. Sierra Canyon went on to sweep Maryknoll and Moanalua. Meanwhile, Mira Costa continued its charge toward the final four with sweeps over Le Jardin, Moanalua and Santa Margarita. After Day 1 play wrapped up on Thursday vballrecruiter.com brought you a closer look at the eight teams in Pool A. Below, we provide a better look at the eight teams in Pool B. Harvard-Westlake – The Wolverines captured the California Division 1 state championship a season ago and return key pieces from that roster in senior outsides Ava-Marie Lange (4-stars) and Grace Thrower (3-stars) as well as senior right side Avery Jones (3-stars) and senior setter Neha Tummala. Harvard-Westlake is 4-2 with victories over Baldwin and Corona del Mar and loss to Palos Verdes on Day 2. Harvard-Westlake is the tallest team in the field and has nice size for a high school team. Lange, Thrower and Jones are all 6-0 or taller, as is middle Maya Stillwell. A front row of either Lange or Thrower on the outside, Stillwell in the middle and Jones on the right looks like a college team lining up. Harvard-Westlake is easily one of the 10 best teams in the CIF Southern Section out of So Cal and could be Top 5 if playing well. ‘Iolani – The host school scored a key victory against Redondo Union to open play Friday. The Raiders then swept Hawaii Baptist and Corona del Mar to close out Day 2. That kept ‘Iolani in the thick of the race to the semifinals. The Raiders are built around a pair of strong outsides in senior outside Brooke Naniseni and senior Senna Roberts-Navarro. Both have big arms and are tough to slow down as ‘Iolani always has someone front row on the left that can carry the offense. Directing it all is senior setter Maya Imoto-Eakin. She’s very steady with a smooth delivery. Libero is also a position of strength for the Raiders with senior Tessa Onaga providing a defensive edge in the back row. Redondo Union – The Sea Hawks close out against Bay League foe Palos Verdes in hopes of making the semifinals. Redondo Union picked up a huge win over Harvard-Westlake to close out Day 1 but were uprooted by ‘Iolani to start Day 2. Redondo Union rebounded to down La Jolla Country Day of San Diego and Baldwin. The big weapon for the Sea Hawks is senior outside Mele Corral-Blagojevich. The 4-star recruit recently committed to Oklahoma and is headed to the Under Armour All-American game in December in Orlando. She hits a heavy ball and her jump serve causes opponents fits as well as the Sea Hawks rely on her plenty. The other outside spot features Victoria Henkel. Another player to watch for is 6-2 senior middle Nicole Lankton. She brings size in the middle and can be a handful for defenses when running the slide. Redondo Union was running a 6-2 with setters Bella Jones and Madi Collins while Summer Suppik was donning the libero jersey. Palos Verdes – The Sea Kings took a step forward last fall and are poised to continue their progression this season. Palos Verdes wasn’t really challenged on Day 2 in producing sweeps against La Jolla Country Day, Baldwin and Harvard-Westlake. Palos Verdes was impressive in sweeping Harvard-Westlake, 25-18, 25-21, in the final outing Friday to remain undefeated. Sophomore outside Kaci Demaria is a key component. She’s a 6-1, 4-star recruit who we recently featured as a potential future 5-star recruit. She’s long and can rip balls. At the high school level she’s very difficult to contain. She’s joined on the left by junior Kendall Beshear (3-star). Beshear has all-around game and hits a heavy ball as well as a jump serve. Together, they provide plenty of offense for Palos Verdes, which featured Tatum Lane at setter on Day 2. Middle Dani Rusich is a bit undersized but was running an effective slide. Libero Meg Walsh combined with defensive specialists Mallory and Molly LaBreche give Palos Verdes a strong back row. Corona del Mar – Another Southern Section school making the trip, CdM always manages to put together a competitive roster. CdM squeaked by Hawaii Baptist to open play Friday, winning in three, 25-20, 21-25, 17-15, before going down to Harvard-Westlake and ‘Iolani in straight sets. A player to watch is Reese Olson. She’s a lefty playing setter and right side. She changes the offensive dynamic when playing across the front row with her strong arm and scoring ability. Kaela Hiramoto sets in the back row when Olson is up front. Outsides Reiley Murphy and Emma Geng are steady contributors while Kirsten Dauderman lines up at libero. La Jolla Country Day – The lone team from San Diego in the field, LJCD is playing without its top player in middle Bianka Lulic, who is a 4-star recruit. The Torreys had a tough time on Day 2 against both Palos Verdes and Redondo Union before closing