August 12, 2023

The way Friday’s results played out set the stage for a frenzied finish to pool play before teams break out for the placement matches, including the four-team gold bracket, at the Ann Kang Invitational hosted by ‘Iolani in Honolulu. Only one team – Cornerstone Christian TX – remains undefeated. The Warriors are 6-0 and in control of Pool B. Cornerstone closes pool play against ‘Iolani, which is 5-1 and can still win the pool. Sierra Canyon CA, which defeated ‘Iolani on Day 2, is also 5-1 and still alive for the gold bracket. It’s possible that Pool A ends in a three-way tie. Mira Costa CA, Punahou HI and Los Alamitos CA are all 5-1 and none of those teams play each other in the final round. That means all three could finish at 6-1. Only the first and second-place teams advance to the semifinals, so if that scenario happens one team will miss out based on tiebreakers. Los Al set itself up by taking down Punahou on Friday to continue its strong performance. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS Mira Costa CA: The Mustangs have lots of young talent on the roster and are playing this week in Hawaii without senior 5-star S/RS Charlie Fuerbringer (Wisconsin). It makes it hard to gauge what the team will look like when she comes back, but it’s obviously going to improve the lineup with her presence. In her absence, the Mustangs have sophomore setter Reese Stringer, senior setter Hayden Lin and sophomore 4-star recruit Milly McGee as options. A key part is junior 5-star libero Taylor Deckert (USC). She has proven herself as one of the top at her position in the country. Mira Costa boasts yet another 5-star recruit in sophomore outside Audrey Flanagan. She teamed with sophomore outside Simon Roslon to anchor the left side. Senior Chloe Hynes, who along with Deckert was part of the SCVC 17 Roxy squad which captured 17 Open gold in Chicago, holds down the right side. Seniors Bryn Shankle and Rachel Moglia round out the lineup in the middle. Mira Costa is currently 5-1 after the first two days and wraps up pool play against Lovejoy on Saturday morning. Los Alamitos CA: The Griffins are coming alive in the early season. They too are 5-1 through six matches, including handing Punahou its only setback so far. Los Al doesn’t carry the 5-star recruits like Mira Costa but early success can boost confidence and help Los Al down the road. Senior S/OH Kaia Herweg is a key piece in her two-way role. Junior outside Ashley Repetti finishes her share of points taking big swings on the outside. Right side Kate Foley was getting in the mix with impressive kills as well while libero Noa Nuez was taking care of the defensive duties. We’ll see if Los Al can make some noise as the season moves along. Punahou HI: The coaching staff said the varsity team was just formed this week and there was no practice time leading into the tournament. Given that, Punahou’s 5-1 mark so far, including beating Mira Costa on Day 1, is noteworthy. This is a tough team to get a ball down on, as Punahou digs a ton of swings. A big arm on the outside is senior Haumea Marumoto. At 6-2, she’s tall and able to go over blocks. The squad also relies on seniors Rella Binney and Indigo Clarke both setting and swinging in dual roles. Senior libero Reese Teves is part of the defensive tenacity Punahou brings to the court. While those girls are seniors, junior Faatamalii Brown and sophomore Marley Nobriga line up in the middle. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Kaia Herweg SR S/OH Los Alamitos CA: Herweg – a Grand Canyon commit – starred in her two-way role hitting and setting. Los Al runs a hybrid offense with Herweg hitting on the left and setting in the back. She’s a smart attacker with a variety of shots and does a nice job guiding the attack. Ashley Repetti JR OH Los Alamitos CA: Repetti – a 3-star recruit – shoulders a load on the left. She gets set a lot and takes strong, aggressive swings to help power the attack. Noa Nuez SR L Los Alamitos CA: Nuez did well in her role, passing well out of serve receive and getting touches on balls to help keep the rally going. Haumea Marumoto SR OH Punahou HI: Marumoto changes the dynamics of the offense when she comes in across the front row. She’s long at 6-2 and does well finding the open spots on the court and keeping pressure on the defense. Rella Binney SR S/RS Punahou HI: Binney – a 3-star Texas commit – is a well-rounded player. She was playing libero during club season and sets and hits for Punahou. She plays with lots of poise and confidence and is part of the reason for the team’s 5-1 showing so far. Indigo Clarke SR S/RS Punahou HI: Clarke is another two-way player who was holding it down and delivering in both roles. Reese Teves SR L Punahou HI: Teves was making impressive digs and keeping rallies going, as well as passing on point out of serve receive. Lulu Uluave SR OH Punahou HI: Uluave – a BYU commit – is another member of the roster who played libero in club but lines up on the left in high school. Given her time at libero, she’s a strong ball control player who also is a heady attacker who knows how to score against bigger blockers. Reese Stringer SO S Mira Costa CA: Stringer was performing well, setting a nice ball and giving her hitters favorable looks. Hayden Lin SR S Mira Costa CA: Lin brings tons of energy to the court. She’s quick and does well getting to balls and also has nice hands. *** Audrey Flanagan SO OH Mira Costa CA: Flanagan – a 5-star recruit – can crush it when the opportunity is there. She’s lanky,