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Hawaii women’s volleyball’s immediate future is looking very solid. However, it might take a while to make it official.
While the Rainbow Wahine have three oral commitments for 2015, only one is expected to sign on Wednesday, the first day for National Letters of Intent.
Punahou senior hitter McKenna Granato, who on Saturday helped lead the Buffanblu to their third state championship in four seasons, was scheduled to sign during Wednesday’s Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance event at the Elks Club. The 5-foot-10 Granato was named to the ninth Under Armour Girls High School All-America first team last Wednesday and is invited to play in the all-star match Dec. 19 in conjunction with the NCAA final four in Oklahoma City.
Granato had 23 kills and 15 digs in the four-set upset of top-ranked Kamehameha.
Expected to sign within the next few days are:
» Casey Castillo, Santa Fe Christian, San Diego: The versatile senior captain has played outside, right side and middle, and is averaging 2.4 kills per set and hitting .381.
» Annie Mitchem, Irvine Valley College: The incoming junior has the No. 2 Lasers unbeaten at 18-0. She was the 2013 national junior college player of the year for former Hawaii All-American Tom Pestolesi. She is a six-rotation player who is averaging 4.11 kills and 2.52 digs per set, hitting .531 with 20 aces and 62 blocks.
Mitchem told the Star-Advertiser on Tuesday that her paperwork would be submitted within the next two weeks.
Hawaii also received a "soft commit" from Norene Iosia, one of the top setters in the 2016 class out of Redondo Union (Calif.) High, according to her Mizuno Volleyball Club. Iosia was the 2013 prepvolleyball.com national freshman of the year.