The Ann Kang Invitational first took place in 1989. Since then, no school has brought home more tournament titles than Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. The So Cal school – which is the defending champion – has racked up seven trophies and is favored as the top seed and highest-ranked squad in the 16-team field in this year’s edition. The three-day event is hosted by ‘Iolani and is set for Aug. 10-12. Below, we look at the nationally-ranked teams to watch for, our 3, 4 and 5-star athletes participated as well offer our outlook and predictions to how the results will pan out.
vballrecruiter.com NATIONALLY-RANKED SCHOOLS (5):
- 4. Mira Costa CA
- 8. Cornerstone Christian TX
- 17. Sierra Canyon CA
- 25. Lovejoy TX
- 49. ‘Iolani HI
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5-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW
- Keoni Williams SO MB Boswell TX
- Megan Fitch JR OH Cornerstone Christian TX (Texas AM)
- Audrey Flanagan SO OH Mira Costa CA
- Taylor Deckert JR L/DS Mira Costa CA (USC)
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4-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW
- Grace Carroll SR RS Cornerstone Christian TX (Baylor)
- McKenna Brand SR L/DS Lovejoy TX (UCONN)
- Bethanie Wu SR S Lovejoy TX (Yale)
- Shelby Burriss JR MB Lovejoy TX
- Milly McGee SO S Mira Costa CA
- Lauren Lynch JR L/DS Sierra Canyon CA (San Diego)
- Kamaluhia Garcia SR RS Moanalua HI (Iowa)
- Hanna McGinest FR OH Sierra Canyon
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3-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW
- Macey Hughes JR RS Cornerstone Christian TX
- Kaia Thiele JR S/RS Cornerstone Christian TX
- Aniya Hall JR OH Cornerstone Christian TX
- Haylee LaFontaine SR OH Huntington Beach CA (Cal Poly beach)
- Kaia Herweg SR OH/S Los Alamitos CA (Grand Canyon)
- Ashley Repetti JR OH Los Alamitos CA
- Anna Barr JR OH Lovejoy TX
- Bryn Shankle JR MB Mira Costa CA
- Simone Roslon SO OH Mira Costa CA
- Manaia Ogbechie JR MB Oaks Christian CA
- Masina Ogbechie SO OH/MB Oaks Christian CA
- Sade Ilawole SR S Sierra Canyon CA
- Danica Rach SR OH Sierra Canyon CA (Boston College)
- Madeline Way SR MB Sierra Canyon CA (Hawaii)
- Halie McGinest SR OH Sierra Canyon CA
- Eva Jefferies FR MB Sierra Canyon CA
- Rella Binney SR L/S Punahou HI (Texas)
OUTLOOK: A year ago, Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon CA played an epic pool-play match, with Sierra Canyon winning the third set going to 15, 25-23, in overscore. The two sides faced off later in the day for the championship match, with Mira Costa extracting revenge and winning its seven Ann Kang title. Mira Costa ended its season by becoming the only team to take a set off of eventual national champion Cathedral CA with its loss in the California Open Division state semifinals. While the Mustangs saw senior contributors graduate, they are primed for another strong year led by senior setter/right side and 5-star Wisconsin commit Charlie Fuerbringer. She’s one of three 5-star recruits on the roster, with the other two being junior libero Taylor Deckert (USC) and sophomore outside Audrey Flanagan. Sierra Canyon also figures to be in the mix once more for the tournament title, as well as a pair of Texas schools in Cornerstone Christian and Lovejoy. Cornerstone finished last season ranked No. 2 in the country. Like Mira Costa, the Warriors graduated key senior contributors but bring back enough to remain one of the top teams in the country. Among those returning are 5-star junior outside Megan Fitch (Texas AM) and 4-star senior right side Grace Carroll (Baylor). The full rundown of participating schools is:
Pool 1
- Mira Costa CA
- Lovejoy TX
- Punahou HI
- Moanalua HI
- Oaks Christian CA
- Los Alamitos CA
- Glen Rose TX
- Baldwin HI
Pool 2
- Cornerstone Christian TX
- ‘Iolani HI
- Sierra Canyon CA
- Huntington Beach CA
- Boswell TX
- Orange Lutheran CA
- Kapolei HI
- Mid-Pacific HI
PREDICTION: With Mira Costa and Lovejoy the top seeds in Pool A, we expect those two to advance to the four-team gold bracket on Saturday. In Pool B, it’s Cornerstone Christian and host ‘Iolani the top two teams. However, we are looking at Cornerstone advancing along with the No. 3 team in the pool in Sierra Canyon. While a rematch from last year between Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon would be fun, it’s looking like a showdown between Mira Costa and Cornerstone Christian in the final. The two teams actually played last year in the final of the Nike TOC Southwest event, with Cornerstone winning in three. We like Cornerstone having Mira Costa’s number once more and going back to the mainland with its first-ever Ann Kang title.
