October 10, 2022

Last month Kamehameha/Hawaii HI made its way to the mainland for the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, where the Warriors finished a respectable 19th overall. The Warriors made another trip east and spent the past week in San Diego facing off against local schools before participating in the So Cal Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Alliant University. Capping off a great week, Kamehameha didn’t drop a set on its way to capturing the tournament title, which featured defeating Lake Stevens WA, 25-17, 25-13, in the final. Leading up to the two-day event, Kamehameha picked up victories over Eastlake, San Marcos and Sage Creek before sweeping its way to victory over the weekend. The semifinals featured three out-of-state teams. Joining Kamehameha and Lake Stevens was Coronado NV, which came in as the top seed after finishing 22nd overall at Durango. Del Norte was the fourth team in the semis, losing to the eventual champs. The tournament provided a stage for athletes to set it off. Below, we feature the players who drew our attention the most with our Show Stoppers. SHOW STOPPERS Sarah Schubert SR OH Kamehameha HI – Part of the reason the Warriors overcome their limited size is the play of Schubert. She’s a strong attacker who hits hard and puts pressure on defenses to make plays. Maela Honma JR OH Kamehameha HI – Honma is a solid six-rotation outside whose steadiness and consistency the Warriors rely on. She’s used both front and back row and does well with her placement. Leisey Kelii SR L Kamehameha HI – The Warriors defense can frustrate opponents with Kelii leading the charge in the back row. Her passing is on target and she does well extending rallies too. Mackenzie Parsons JR MB Poway CA – Parsons is a weapon in the middle. She has a big arm and is tough attacker to stop with her scoring prowess. Laura Eichert FR OH Lake Stevens WA – Eichert is one of the key components of the attack. She’s an aggressive hitter who challenges blocks and keeps coming at defenses. Hayli Tri SR MB Lake Stevens WA – The Vikings will get Tri involved when they can so defenses need to stay with her. She has a good arm and is a reliable option when in system. Isabella Christensen SR OH Lake Stevens WA – A lanky outside, Christensen is a handful for opponents. She has nice range and did well finding the open spaces on the court. Abigail Paulson JR RS Coronado NV – Paulson packs a punch. She’s a physical attacker with a strong arm. She’s one of the featured hitters and is someone the Cougars can go to in a tight spot.   Mia Arambula SR L Coronado NV – An energetic libero, Arambula is a scrapper. She showed consistent passing out of serve receive and defended with a fury. Jillian Neal SR OH Del Norte CA – A strong, hard-hitting outside Neal is the centerpiece of the Nighthawks’ offense. She hits a heavy ball and can overpower opponents at times. Nia Thompson SO OH Westview CA – Thompson is a six-rotation player who contributes on both sides of the ball. She’s a smart hitter who uses off speed shots well in addition to being a strong passer. Avery Banaag SR L Eastlake CA – Banaag brings a defensive spirit to the lineup. Her passing out of serve receive is on point and she makes her share of hustle plays as well. Ava Poinsett SO OH Francis Parker CA – The Lancers have a big-time scorer in Poinsett. She can make life rough on defenses with the multiple ways she can punish them with. Madison Triplett JR OH El Capitan CA – Triplett is an explosive hitter who though a bit undersized can crush it. Her ability to tool blocks or bang it down makes it difficult on defenses to slow her down. Madelyn Wutzke SO OH El Capitan CA – The 6-0 sophomore is the other half of a dangerous outside tandem. Her swing is smooth and she delivers with lots of pace. Savannah Simpson SO MB El Capitan CA – A 6-0 middle, Simpson is definitely an option and someone the Vaqueros will utilize when in system. She has a nice arm and can finish plays off. Kenna Cogill SO MB Perry AZ – At 6-4, Cogill is a disrupter in the middle for the Pumas. She hits for a high percentage and can really hurt teams with smaller middle blockers. Lily Cammack SR L Oviedo FL – Cammack held down the back row with her hustle and energy. She tracked down balls and gave her team another shot. Anna Cathcart SO OH Oviedo FL – Cathcart comes with plenty of upside. She’s a 6-2 outside who is capable of going over blocks and putting balls away. Paige Wisneski JR S Oviedo FL – Wisneski has nice hands and delivers a hittable ball. She was also moving the ball around well. Charlotte Nowak FR RS JSerra CA – Nowak may be an underclassman but she helps liven up the attack with what she brings to it. She’s a reliable target who is one of the team’s more consistent scorers. Reese Brown JR OH JSerra CA – The Lions have options and Brown is one of them. She does well adding to the attack with a variety of shots. Tatum Johnson JR MB JSerra CA – Johnson provides plenty of offense for the Lions. She has a good arm and can get after it so defenses must be ready when the Lions are in system. Maylynn Mitchell SO OH Santiago CA – Mitchell is a physical hitter who can makes defenders feel it when she catches one. She’s capable of carrying the offense at times and is a key piece of the attack for the Sharks. Marlee Arrington JR RS Ontario Christian CA – Arrington was one of the most explosive attackers in the field. She’s an athletic

Mira Costa CA closed out its tournament schedule by beating Bay League foe Redondo Union CA, 25-10, 25-19, in the championship match of the Redondo Molten Varsity Power Classic on Saturday. The Mustangs – who captured the title at the Ann Kang Invitational in August – added their second tournament title of the season. It comes on the heels of Mira Costa taking second place the previous weekend when it finished runner up to Cornerstone Christian TX at the Nike TOC Southwest tournament in Phoenix. Mira Costa didn’t drop a set either day in their latest endeavor, including sweeping Lakewood CA in Saturday’s semifinals. Redondo swept Torrey Pines CA in the other semis, avenging an earlier loss this season at the hands of the Falcons. Mira Costa and Redondo Union are set to face off again in league play this coming Thursday, the final match of the regular season before sectional play begins. Mira Costa prevailed in five games in the first league clash and can clinch the outright league title by beating Culver City on Monday. In addition to Mira Costa earning the title, the weekend also delivered its share of players starring for their teams. We highlight those who caught our attention the most with our Show Stoppers below. SHOW STOPPERS Charlie Fuerbringer JR S Mira Costa – The Mustangs’ leader was once more doing her thing. The 5-star Wisconsin recruit is among the top setters in the country for a reason. She directs the offense flawlessly. She also is a high-level defender and a heady scorer. Tanon Rosenthal SR RS Mira Costa – Rosenthal has a big showing in the final. When she’s on and scoring consistently she really opens up the attack and gives Mira Costa another reliable arm to count on. Taylor Deckert SO L Mira Costa – Deckert continued her strong season with another round of strong defensive play. She’s so steady and consistent and rarely misses a play in front of her. Drew Wright SR OH Mira Costa – After missing last Saturday’s action in Phoenix taking the SATs, Wright was back and doing what she’s done all season. She paces the attack and gives the Mustangs a go-to arm along with her steady passing and ball control. Fatimah Hall SR S Lakewood – Hall – a 3-star San Diego State commit – always turns heads of those watching her and causing comments to be made by fans surrounding the court. She does a phenomenal job of reversing flow and keeping defenders guessing as to who she’s going to dish it to, even if she’s not perfectly in system. Mele Corral-Blagojevich SR OH Redondo Union – A 4-star Oklahoma commit, Corral-Blagojevich comes at opponents with a big, strong arm and a heavy ball that’s hard to dig when she gets a hold of it. Ella Zimmerman JR MB Redondo Union – This 6-4 middle makes her presence known across the front row. She’s a scoring threat when in system and with her height can tip to the open court. She’s also an impactful blocker who does well getting in the way of attackers. Nikki Quinn SR S Torrey Pines – Quinn’s job was made more difficult with Torrey Pines missing kill leader Finley Krystkowiak but she did well trying to help keep her team in system and giving her hitters favorable match ups. Grace Flanagan SR MB Torrey Pines – Flanagan is someone defenses must take note of. When in system, Torrey Pines is going to get her the ball because she’s close to automatic when she gets up and has a good look.   Kiara Edwards JR RS Torrey Pines – Edwards showed off her potential. The springy right side gets up well and has a solid arm to boot. It lead to impressive kills at times as she did well contributing when called upon. Katerina Lutz SR L Torrey Pines – Lutz – a 3-star UCLA commit – was tough to score on. Hitters took turns ripping balls cross court only to watch Lutz scoop their shots up and keep the rallies alive as she held down the left back position with authority. Jordin Taulua SR OH Bishop Montgomery – An undersized outside hitter, Taulua was fun to watch. She’s an aggressive attacker who isn’t afraid of bigger blocks. She challenges them and lets it fly on the regular as the offensive leader. Zoe Morales SR L Bishop Montgomery – Bishop Montgomery knows how to scrap and claw and Morales brings that mindset to the libero position. She’s a hustler and did well extending rallies chasing down errant balls. Jada Stone SR S Oxnard – Stone brings a lot to the lineup at the setting position. At 6-1, she’s tall and can make an impact in the front row at the net. She’s also consistent with her location. Anika Huelskamp SR OH Oxnard – A huge part of the attack, Huelskamp carries a big load on offense. Even with opponents loading up and trying to stop her, she can still score for her team. Emma Fredrick SR OH Liberty – Fredrick is another outside who does heavy lifting on offense. She’s the focal point of the attack and the go-to hitter Liberty rides. Nikki Tawil SO S/OH Village Christian – Listed as a setter on the roster, Tawil spent time this past weekend hitting on the outside. She did set too, showing her versatility she brings to the lineup. Kennedy Osunsanmi JR OH West Ranch – At 6-4, Osunsanmi is an imposing figure at the net. She has huge upside with her length and ability to extend when attacking. Malia Thorne SR MB Newport Harbor – Thorne is undersized in the middle but she brings it! She can hammer balls when the opportunity present itself and she gives Newport Harbor a reliable scorer out of the middle. Anabel Kotzakov SR OH Newport Harbor – Kotzakov is a 6-2 uncommitted senior with a big arm. She’s a smart attacker who also