Wednesday;: Granato on UA All-America team, Top 25 scores
NLI is next Wednesday. Expected to sign are Annie Mitchem (Irvine Valley), Casey Castillo (Santa Fe Christian) and McKenna Granato (Punahou)
Granato was named to the ninth annual Under Armour Girls High School All-America first team Wednesday.
Each of the players on the First Team will be invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match & Skills Competition. The event will be held at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Friday, December 19th in conjunction with the 2014 AVCA Annual Convention and NCAA fail four
http://www.avca.org/awards/all-america/high-school/
Practice this afternoon. will check in after that.
Had nice conversations with Mendoza’s mom and Tom Pestolesi this morning for a story I’m writing on Mendoza. Ends up her mom played for Tom Shoji in high school.
Mom has made it every home match the past three years except for one, I believe. Sarah’s dad still has a house here. Mom co-owned KLEI in the 80s.
Irvine Valley, with UH commit Annie Mitchem, is 16-0 heading into tonight’s match at Santa Ana.
Sounds like a great recruiting class. With all of the returnees from this year, bolstered by the new players, the Wahine should be right back up there in the national rankings next season.
Thx for the hor d’oeuvre. Looking forward to entrée (re Mendoza).
Mitchem leads Irvine Valley in kills (4.2 per set), hitting percentage(.542!!!!), digs (2.65 per set), aces( 16), and blocks (1.18 per set) and is their best passer. Shoji might have to give her a look on the outside with her digging and passing ability especially being 6′ 3, she could be another Hartong like outside terminator.
Mitchem and a year worth of experience for the young ones could add up to a top ten season. Anything less would disappoint the faithful and probably the coaching staff.
Having a bunch of top notch recruits on a team doesn’t necessarily mean your program will automatically be good (let alone in top ten). USC is a prime example. Cohesion, chemistry, and experience will determine how good the Wahine will be.
Annie Mitchem looks like a good candidate for an outside position with her good back row skills. However, the loss of Kalei Adolpho next year will limit Hawaii’s choices since it will have only two middles, Magill and Maglio unless, of course, Megan Huff reverts back to middle.
They could use Mitchem same as Veronica Lima was used. Remember her as a middle hitting from all sides at the net. Didn’t she play back row also?
we’ll see what happens when they’re in camp in August. Doesn’t mean all of the newcomers get a lot of playing time. At least one could redshirt IMHO (Mitchem does not have a redshirt year).
Don’t see Huff moving back to the middle. If they keep Mitchem in the middle then they can libero out one of the OHs.
6. Castillo has been playing middle for her Wave club team.
1) Stanford def. Arizona State 3-2
5) Texas def. Texas Tech 25-10, 25-18, 25-13
9) Illinois lost to Northwestern 20-25, 22-25, 25-16, 25-15, 11-15
13) Nebraska def. 12) Purdue 25-21, 25-22, 25-20
22) Kansas State lost to Iowa State 23-25, 23-25, 22-25
I think we will see Mitchem on the left or right. She will just bring too much offense not too have out on the pins.
Maglio in the middle, Castillo backing her and Olivia up.
I think UH does a two setter offense next season. Mitchem and Greeley on the left, Olivia and Maglio in the middle, Nikki and Tai right side, in the front row only, Koelsch and Higgins setting in the back row, Kahakai at libero.
#11. Why do fans keep trying to pencil in a change in positions? You seem to think players can easily switch — just plug in and play.
Coming out of HS, Mitchem always played MB. That is what she has always played, and her game was described as . . . displaying great size and speed at the net; quick to transition and offers power with her quick, high arm swing; very versatile middle, . . . is most effective running the slide; moves well laterally and has no problem closing the block and putting up a solid wall. Can also be used in the back row because she is so agile.
Remember when Shoji had to move Maja Gustin because of injuries from MB to OH? Next season she was never the same, and never returned to form.
i have no inside info on mitchem and whether she can transition to an outside hitter role. altho gustin was switched basically because hawaii had no choice that year, there are middles who are athletic enough to make that move. how quickly we forget hartong. 😉
willoughby was a middle in HS and converted to an OH in college.
its possible, they just have to possess the athleticism and speed which mitchem has both of. id prefer to see her on the right tho. her stepout is killer.
I believe the great Tee Williams played middle in her first year at UH and then thereafter as 3X AA OH and then on to Olympic team as OH. I think her sister Kee also played middle her first year becoming an AA. Unfortunately, when Kee subsequently moved to OH, she never gained the great success like her sister due to injuries. Still, Kee was great and so much fun to watch. I can still remember the shouts of “Kee” and “Tee” just before they lower the boom on their very hard hit shots from the outside.
Teee and Kee are not related. Don’t believe Teee played middle in 87, which was her first year after sitting out as a freshman via that ill-fated Prop 48. She did not play for four years, just three. two-time national player of the year, 3-time AA
in 87 you had Eagye and Trieschman in the middle
Teee and Kee also never played on the same team. Teee was 87-89, Kee 1991-94.
12. Some players, can, especially ones with all around skills like Mitchem. She plays beach too and she’s got all the shots. I think she’s played middle most of her time because of her size, But UH has other players with size they can use in the middle.
As said earlier, we’ll see what happens in fall. they are a little then at middle with just Magill and Magilo back. they usually have 3 so I’m guessing that’s where Mitchem goes. Castillo plays MB in club, so that is an option. or they move Huff back. lots of options. Hartong played middle as a freshman because they needed her there, moved to OH after.
Cindy, Teee didn’t play her freshman year due to new NCAA eligibility rules but did play middle in the 1987 championship team with Suzanne Eagye being the other middle.
exactly what I wrote. Prop 48 had her sitting out her first year.
if you re-read your original post, it said she played middle her first year then 3 years at OH. She only played 3 years for UH.
KDEN, my apologies. She did play middle her sophomore year of 87. then moved to OH the final 2 years. she also hit a number slides and they got Trieshmen in a number of sets to develop her with Williams going OH that year. Think that’s where my memory took me.
however she was not related to Kee and never was on the same Wahine team. Teee grew up in Long Beach, Kee in Compton.
?
I hate looking back.
on an amusing note, Williams wanted to go with 4 Es in her name Teeee but the SID at the time told her no, she could only have 3.
KDEN, this is nuts…Lakewood is LB.
She was an OH–thee #1/2 recruit out of HS–playing for Ichiban (which was Long Beach jrs vball, the national “club” bitd). Kee chould have played one more year as ’92 was a redshirt year for her.
Tee hit all of the quick stuff IN FRONT OF THE SETTER. 1s and 3s exclusively.
SE was the one who hit slides.
Keba Phipps (USA), Elaina Oden (Pacific), Teee in ’86
Phipps couldn’t qualify either but Teee, yeah, braved it out with Prop 48
UH has a lot of options next year, but im curious to see how the OH & MB roles will all turn out..
Example 1:
OH: Taylor, Mitchem, Olevau (Greeley=1st OH sub)
MB: Magill, Maglio or Castillo
Example 2:
OH: Taylor, Olevau, Greeley or Castillo
MB: Magill, Mitchem (Mitchem plays all 6 rotations with Libeiro subbing in for Magill and Olevau)
*Both options would be great, I just would like to see Tai being subbed by a Libeiro or playing at Opp so she is not in the passing rotation. Others mentioned Mitchem would be good of an option at Opp but with Taylor or Olevau that wont be needed.
24. the original point was that Teee and Kee were not related, did not play on the same Hawaii team. brought up hometowns as an added point.
Teee’s bio said hometown is Long Beach. Went to St. Joseph’s in Lakewood.