SandBows sign 5 recruits

University of Hawaii sand volleyball coach Scott Wong announced his 2014 recruiting class on Wednesday, which includes a Division I transfer, an international talent and three high school All-Americans. 

Sammi Brown, Gianna Guinasso, Lara Schrieber, Hi’ilawe Huddleston and Ka’iwi Schucht have all committed to join the SandBows, a squad that finished third in the nation last season.

Brown (Santa Barbara, Calif.), spent four seasons playing indoor volleyball at Notre Dame, where she played three different positions (setter, right side, defensive specialist). She will have one year of eligibility. 

Guinasso (Huntington Beach, Calif.) is one of the top sand players in Southern California, having won gold medals in the AAUBest of the Beach and AAUJunior National Championsips.She was one of four players named to the inaugural AVCAHigh School All-American SandVolleyball Team.

Schucht, of Germany, is the program’s first international recruit. She was a member of the German Beach Volleyball Junior National Team, claiming the silver medal at the 2012 FIVBU18 Youth European Championships. She also took fourth in 2013. 

Huddleston (San Diego) and Schucht (Escondido, Calif.) paired as one of the top junior tandems on the West Coast. They captured the U18 Division of the 2014 SoCal Open.

The five recruits join a UH team that went 20-4 in 2014 and return three All-Americans in Katie Spieler, Nikki Taylor and Brittany Tiegs.