CIF Southern Section: Captains Takeover

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week began the CIF Southern Section playoffs. From divisions 1 to 9 girls' high school volleyball is gearing up to play the best of the best. The goal is to get the ultimate title of their division, a championship! High school girls' volleyball teams have been anticipating CIF since it is the road to school notoriety. Division 4 found two Inland Empire schools going head to head. Summit Skyhawks, coached by Larry and Kristi Whitcomb took first in the Sunkist league with a record of 9-0. They are ranked #141 in California and # 10 in the Southern Section Division 4. The Oak Hill Bulldogs, coached by Omar Lopez, Mikael Bastida, and Tiffany Tran took third in the Mojave River League with a record of 7-3. They are ranked #312 in California and #24 in Southern Section Division 4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two great teams came out to play and battle in the first round of playoffs. A dominant sight to see was the captains who took over the court. Summit had four of their leaders on the court, all captains, all class of 2023. The experience and maturity of their players was clearly visible. Below is an introduction of some stand out players from this 1st round of playoffs. Summit succeeded in winning and will be playing the Polytechnic Panthers from Pasadena at Polytechnic, Saturday October 22, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6352da69bb3b7","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["160338"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":238217,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eManaia u0022Naiau0022 Mamea (C)u003c/strongu003e is a 6 rotation player who is a huge asset on offense with her digs and on defense with her kills. She covers the court with speed and agility, getting balls that are expected to hit the floor. When a play looks to be coming to an end, here comes Mamea with a slide and dig to save the point. She has no fear of getting on the floor and making plays. Mamea is a very strong hitter who has a vertical that makes her capable of getting on top of a ball and banging it straight down. She has a very high IQ for the game which makes her a dependable player on the court. She was a perfect choice to hold the captain title. When playing opposite of her sister Lole, the Mamea twins bring an energy on the court that is fun to watch. She would be a solid addition to any team on the next level of play.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["160336"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":238220,"_player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eLoleaulelei u0022Loleu0022 Mamea (C)u003c/strongu003e is a right side hitter who does not come off the court. She plays opposite of her twin sister Manaia and that twin energy makes things happen. She has a serve that looks like it's going long but will drop short and score. She is quick on her feet and can transition from offense to defense in order to help her team make plays. Mamea is a versatile player who knows how to cover and adjust. She is also a great defender in the back row and at the net with blocking. She has an advantage of being left handed by being able to hit shots that are harder to defend. Her kills are powerful enough to hit between the block or tool it and score. She is a very smart player, able to read the court and place the ball. A leader on the court, deserving of being a captain for her team. She would be an asset for any next level program.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":238215,"_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"M'kera Drake","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Summit (C)","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"Rancho Valley 18","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eM'kera Drake (C)u003c/strongu003e has her opponents moving out the way when she pounds a set in middle. Her balls are on fire when she connects with a set that the delivery and placement is hard to defend. She stepped up to defend the net and transitioned side to side to help her pins with blocks. In one motion her jump and arm extension creates a wall of defense. When Drake is not in the front row defending the net, she plays back row. Her timing with hitting a deliverable set made many of her plays successful. She watched the ball which allowed her to anticipate the play and create an attacking moment when a set was made. Drake shows her leadership on the court and a reason why she is captain; by being vocal and supportive to her team. She would be a great add-on to any next level team.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":238227,"_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Izabela Melara","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Summit (C)","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eIzabela Melara (C)u003c/strongu003e plays all around and helps with offense and defense. She is a leader on the court and swings with confidence. She's a versatile hitter who can create shots across the court or down line. She can hit over the block and can find the best angle to place the ball. She shows her athleticism by transitioning from one responsibility to another. Melara is a smart player who communicates where the opponent hitters are and where they are going. She can recover plays that go wrong and make something out of them. She shows her captain leadership on the court by communicating and completing any duty on the court by passing, hitting, or blocking. Melara would be a great leader for any next-level program.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":238232,"_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Itzana Rojas","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Summit","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"Rancho Valley 18","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eItzana Rojasu003c/strongu003e runs her offense with communication and quick sets on the court. She spreads the ball around, finding a way to get her opponents out of system. She made quick decisions with placing a dump and scored a few times that way. She is quick to second ball and has the ability to create a perfect set even if a pass is off. Her touches are pretty smooth and help make the kills and ball movements her pins delivered. Rojas is very athletics and can make plays off the net. She knew when and who to feed the ball to in order to get the best out of her pins and they would score. Rojas would help any program looking for a setter who will take charge and lead the court.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":238246,"_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='706323' first='Kelis' last='Hawkins']","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Summit","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e[player_tooltip player_id='706323' first='Kelis' last='Hawkins']u003c/strongu003e is a 6'2 tall and strong player whose size at the net can be intimidating. She is new to the volleyball scene so excited to see what the next two years of development will provide. Her straight up jump to block at middle looked effortless. Her height and speed helps her excel at the role of middle hitter and blocker. On defense she was ready for the quick middle attacks and helping the outside pins to close the blocks. She can read her setter and adjust her approach to make the set effective in scoring. She is able to help spread out the blockers by acting as a lure to a fake out set. Hawkins is a player that should be on the radar.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":238251,"_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Christianna Roberts","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Oak Hills","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"Rancho Valley 16","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003eChristianna Robertsu003c/strongu003e is a new player to the game and her height and long reach has been an asset to her position of middle and right side. Roberts has a strong hit and when she gets on top of the ball the speed makes it nearly impossible to defend. Her solo blocks are so quick they land right behind a front row defender and in front of the back row defender. Roberts is not afraid to dive for a ball to keep it in play and her high hands is the first line of defense at middle or right side. She did say she likes right side better, however she has the ability to defend at any front row position. Roberts is a player who should be on the radar.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit","anchor":"acf-block-670ff3cd9581b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A great way to support our volleyball athletes and teams is by sharing our stories with family, friends, and fans. This can be done by subscribing or sharing on social media. Follow Prep Dig and Prep Dig California on their many different social media platforms ie: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Sometimes unintentional errors happen. For any corrections, please email them to niqnaq23@gmail.com and put “PrepDig correction” in the subject line. Thank you for the support and happy reading!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(C) Indicates captain</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*If you are a player, please claim or create your player profile.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->