Defending girls volleyball state champion ‘Iolani opens the season ranked No. 19 in the nation in the MaxPreps preseason Top 25 rankings released today.
The Raiders started the season reaching the semifinals of the Ann Kang Invitational that ended Saturday. ‘Iolani, which had won the last two Ann Kang tournaments, won its first 12 sets before getting swept by Redondo Union (Calif.) in its final match in pool play. The Raiders were then swept by Byron Nelson (Texas) 25-22, 26-24 in the semifinals.
Redondo Union, which swept Byron Nelson to win the tournament, is No. 5 in the first MaxPreps rankings while Byron Nelson is No. 9.
The Raiders return two-time All-State player of the year Elena Oglivie, who qualified for the U.S. Girls Youth National Team that will participate in the FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 5-14.
Oglivie, who committed to Stanford over schools including Georgia, USC and Washington, was one of five outside hitters selected to the squad.
Max Preps also lists sophomore Mokihana Tufono, the Raiders’ starting setter, as a key returnee.
‘Iolani will begin its ILH regular season on Aug. 26 hosting Mid-Pacific.
How many matches will Elena miss practicing and traveling with the national team?
Looks like 4 games