The No. 5 UH beach volleyball team opens the season on Saturday, February 24 at home on the Ching Complex Courts vs. No. 3 UCLA and No. 17 Stanford in the Rainbow Wahine Classic. We'll preview the 2018 squad all week, beginning today with the freshman class.
 
The youth movement continues for Jeff Hall's SandBows. Last year's freshman class was a dozen strong and yielded a pair of gems in Amy Ozee and AVCA All-American Morgan Martin. This year seven new freshman arrive in Manoa, making up a third of UH's 21-player roster.
 
O Canada
If you're wondering why a Canadian flag hangs at the Ching Complex Courts, it's simple. Four Canadians grace this year's roster—including two freshmen. Prior to arriving at UH, Jenna Banz (5-8 Cambridge, Ontario) finished an impressive third at the U18 Canadian nationals. Lea Monkhouse (6-0, Mississauga, Ontario) was even better. She climbed the top of the mountain to capture the 2016 U18 Canadian national championship. If her preseason showing is any indication, the SandBows could have another impact freshman on their hands.
 
Says Hall: "We're excited to start building "the Pipeline" to Canada. Both these freshmen are strong athletes, come in with all-around skill sets and an excellent work ethic. Lea particularly defends well and has a really powerful arm swing. She's worked herself into the mix with our most experienced players and is poised to contribute this season." 
 
All-America U
The Rainbow Wahine have continually lured the top talent in the country. UH boasts seven former AVCA high school beach All-Americans on this year's roster and the tradition continues with a pair of incoming freshman. Both Paige Dreeuws (5-7, San Marcos) and Ashley Stevens (5-6, Huntington Beach) earned All-American honorable mention distinction as high school seniors in Southern California.
 
Says Hall: "These two come to play hard everyday. They're focused and handle their business on and off the court. We're pleased with their development thus far and we see bright futures ahead for both Ashley and Paige in our program."
 
The Future
The remainder of UH's freshman class hold a bright future. Presley Forbes (5-4, Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was the youngest rated player in the California Beach Volleyball Association; Arden Misraje (6-2, Santa Monica, Calif.) excelled in both indoor and beach at Crossroads School; Pani Napolean (5-7, Bonita, Calif.), a multi-sport athlete, was Bonita Vista's High School's Athlete of the Year as a senior; Regan Hurkett (6-2 Sedona, Ariz.) and former Junior Olympian Sydney Kidd (5-8, San Diego, Calif.) return for their second season in Manoa after redshirting last season.
 
Says Hall: "Presley has been a welcome addition to our team. She has a very high beach IQ and is always pushing the competition on the court….Arden has battled injury and we remain hopeful that she'll get back to health soon…Pani is still new to the beach game and is showing tremendous strides since arriving in Manoa. We're excited for what she will do before she's done…Regan has made marked improvements after redshirting last year…Sydney is undersized, but she makes up for that with her great leaping ability.  She also has one of the toughest serves on our team."