The CIF Southern Section out of So Cal always features at least a handful of nationally-recognized schools and 2022 is no different. A year ago it was Marymount of Los Angeles running the gauntlet and winding up undefeated as national champions in several publications. While Marymount graduated most of its starting lineup, two more So Cal schools which figure to be in the hunt for a possible national title this season include Cathedral Catholic of San Diego and Mater Dei of Santa Ana. However, none of those three schools made the trip to Hawaii for this year’s version of the Ann Kang Invitational.

Hosted by ‘Iolani School, the prestigious event features 16 teams – with nine from So Cal and seven from the island. The two toughest and deepest leagues in So Cal this fall are the Bay and Mission leagues and representatives from both showcased their talents on the opening day of the tournament. Mira Costa, Redondo Union and Palos Verdes – all three from the Bay League – combined to go 9-0 Thursday while Sierra Canyon and Harvard-Westlake – in the Mission League along with Marymount – went a combined 5-1. Harvard-Westlake was the only team to drop a match of the five schools, with its setback coming at the hands of Redondo Union, 25-19, 25-21. As for the local schools, Punahou, ‘Iolani and Moanalua all finished 2-1 after Day 1 action was complete. Pool play continues Friday and wraps up Saturday morning. The conclusion of pool play on Day 3 will see Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon face off, as well as Palos Verdes and Redondo Union before breaking into bracket pool to determine the champions.

vballrecruiter.com was on hand for the start of the tournament and will continue to provide coverage from all three days. Below, we give you a closer look at the teams in Pool A. We’ll provide a closer look at teams in Pool B after Day 2 is done. As for Pool B, one of the best matches on Thursday was between Palos Verdes and ‘Iolani. PV prevailed in three, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11, on its way to going 3-0. PV also defeated Corona del Mar and Hawaii Baptist. Redondo Union went 3-0 with sweeps over Corona del Mar, Hawaii Baptist and Harvard-Westlake.

POOL A BREAKDOWN

Mira Costa – Regardless of how the Mustangs finish in Hawaii, credit goes out to the parents of this school who showed up in big numbers and represented with loud cheering and support of their girls. There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to Mira Costa this season. At the center of it is junior setter Charlie Fuerbringer, a 5-star recruit who recently committed to Wisconsin. She has pieces to work with, some of which include beach star senior Erin Inskeep and senior Drew Wright (3-stars) on the outside with Tanon Rosenthal on the right side. Bryn Shankle brings height to the middle. Toss in sophomore Taylor Deckert (3-stars) at libero and Costa should be a solid passing team who can spread the ball around with Fuerbringer running the offense. Costa picked up Day 1 victories over Maryknoll, Edison and Punahou. The toughest outing was against Punahou, as Mira Costa snuck by, 19-25, 25-14, 15-13.

*Sierra Canyon’s Lauren Lynch (6) and Danica Rach (4) celebrate a point.*

Sierra Canyon – The Trailblazers are an impressive bunch and can play with the best the country has to offer. Sierra Canyon was strong in sweeping Santa Margarita, Le Jardin and Edison, allowing 20 points or more in just one set. The featured player is Olivia Babcock, a 6-3 right side who is a 5-star recruit committed to Pitt and chosen for the Under Armour All-American game in December in Orlando. At the high school level, she’s virtually unstoppable. The team is also strong on the outside with 3-star recruit and junior Danica Rach. The Trailblazers also showcased freshman Mia Stewart on the outside to show the young talent in the pipeline. Another strong point comes at libero, with sophomore Lauren Lynch, a 4-star recruit.

*Punahou libero Melie Vaioleti makes a play on the ball.*

Punahou – Punahou flashed its capabilities in playing Mira Costa tough. While Punahou doesn’t have a big arm like Sierra Canyon does with Babcock, the scrappiness, ball control and IQ can give any opponent fits. The defense is anchored by 3-star recruit and senior libero Melie Vaioleti. She routinely kept the team in system out of serve receive and extended rallies with her digging. Haumea Marumoto provided key offense on the left and showed a nice scoring sense with her ability to hit off speed. Rella Moon Binney plays a vital role as a setter/right side while Jodi Saelua brings physicality in the middle. Punahou defeated Moanalua and Maryknoll before losing a tight one to Mira Costa.

Santa Margarita – The Eagles sit at 1-2 in Pool A after the opening day. After getting swept by Sierra Canyon in the first match, Santa Margarita dropped a three-setter to Moanalua before closing the day with a sweep of Maryknoll. Two key pieces of the offense are both underclassmen in sophomore outside Brooklyn Drumwright and freshman pin hitter Memphis Burnett – both 3-star recruits. At 6-2, senior middle Sophia Stalcup is the tallest member on the roster. She did a solid job getting touches and providing a blocking presence. Senior Grace Moss was suited up at libero and tasked with the defensive duties.

Moanalua – Going 2-1 on the day, the lone setback came against Punahou as Moanalua recorded victories over Santa Margarita and Le Jardin. The key weapon is lefty junior Malu Garcia, a 3-star recruit who hits all across the front and back rows. She provides pop to the attack and is someone defenses must key in on or pay the price. Outside Leilani Giusta is another attacker defenses need to be concerned about. She’s a strong hit who adds physicality. At libero was Natalie Fukumoto and she was steady in consistent with her passing.

*Edison’s Adia McCown (17) with the pass.*

Edison – The Chargers went 0-3 on Thursday, with losses to Le Jardin, Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon. The position of most strength for the Huntington Beach school is junior setter/right side Molly McCluskey, a 3-star recruit. When she’s front row and Edison is in system, she’s getting the ball. The team was also helped out offensively by outsides Adia McCown and Summer Witherby. It was Makenna Jackson holding down the defense at libero.

Le Jardin – It was a 1-2 day for Le Jardin, which beat Edison and fell to Sierra Canyon and Moanalua. There’s not a lot of size, with just one player listed above 5-8. However, this team plays hard and makes opponents earn points. Sophomore Sydni Gardner is undersized in the middle but is quick. Nicole Andersch – a senior opposite – is someone to take note of as she hits out of the front and back row. Junior Hailee Naone is a scrappy libero while senior outside Sydnee Walker showed strong passing skills out of serve receive.

Maryknoll – It was a tough go Thursday as Maryknoll dropped outings to Mira Costa, Punahou and Santa Margarita. Freshman Jada Souza is an undersized right side but she jumps well and showed some spring. Senior Hope Fine brought a level of physicality to the outside while junior Kaelyn Flores is a lanky middle who moves well.