The Hawaii volleyball team got a little deeper at middle blocker Tuesday when redshirt freshman Natasha Burns participated fully in practice.
The 6-foot-5 Canadian national, who fractured her hand during a preseason practice last August, missed all of last week’s workouts and was cleared on Monday to participate on a limited basis.
“I’m super happy to be able to participate now, be back on the court after missing the majority of the season with an injury,” Burns said. “I’m happy to be able to have the full experience.
“I’m eager to work with our setters — we’ve got a lot of options and I’m eager to continue practicing with them and continue improving.”
Prior to Burns being cleared, the Rainbow Wahine had only one true middle in junior Emily Maglio. Sophomore Casey Castillo was moved last week from the outside to the middle, a position she played while in high school, in club and sparingly last season.
Creating the situation was the injury last week to senior middle Annie Mitchem, who fractured her left pinkie. The 6-foot-3 All-American at Irvine Valley (Calif.) College had surgery Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s nice that we have three middles again,” associate head coach Jeff Hall said. “We’re glad to have Natasha back with us.”
Hawaii, ranked No. 6 in the AVCA preseason Top 25, opens the season Aug. 26 against No. 4 Wisconsin.
Oda advances at U.S. Golf Amateur
Honolulu’s John Oda shot a 3-under-par 67 to finish in a sixth-place tie after the second round of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Championship on Tuesday in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Alex Smalley, a sophomore at Duke, shot a 133 and received stroke-play medalist honors.
Oda, a 2014 Moanalua graduate, posted a 137 after two rounds at Oakland Hills Country Club and advanced to the round of 64. He shot 10 birdies and seven bogeys throughout the tournament.
Match play begins today and concludes on Sunday with a 36-hole championship. Oda will tee off at 7:20 a.m. against one of the stroke-play qualifiers.
Brent Grant, Oda’s Moanalua classmate, failed to qualify with a 147. Grant golfs for BYU-Hawaii and recently won the 2016 Manoa Cup.
