Two Cougars Sign Volleyball Letters of Intent
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Weekend Edition - May 10-13, 2013

Two members of last fall’s Taft College volleyball team have signed letters of intent to continue their collegiate careers at the university level.
Sophomores Chanel Cantere and Sina Mauga recently agreed to move to colder climes to finish their college careers in volleyball and academics, but relocating where it snows was attractive to both.

Cantere, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter, is headed to NAIA-affiliated University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima while Sina Mauga, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker, will transfer to Div. II New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M.

Both players were All-Central Valley Conference selections as they helped lead the Cougars into the state playoffs.

Mauga was third in the state in blocks with 87 or 1.38 per game.  Cantere ranked 10th in the state in kills, averaging 4.22 per game.

“I think they’re both going to be happy with their choices,” said their head coach Kanoe Bandy.  “I’m happy for both of them.  Those are both good schools.”
She applauded their decision to go out of state, although Cantere initially wanted to stay in California.

“Sometimes in life we never get to have experiences like they are going to have,” Bandy said.  “What a great opportunity for them to have some memorable life experiences.”

In both Lima and Las Vegas they will get to experience snow.

In fact, they already have.  When they made their recruiting trips in January there was snow on the ground in both cities. 
They never got to experience that in Taft or their hometowns in Hawaii.

“I’ve never been in that kind of environment and I wasn’t dressed for that kind of weather,” Cantere said after her winter break trip to Lima.
Despite getting cold feet – literally – she liked the place.

“It’s a private university and everyone was so nice.  I like the fact they have small classes like we have here at Taft.  I think I learn better in that type of environment.  I like to have that contact with my teachers.”

Cantere got to work out with the Lady Racers, who were 32-6 last season and have a new head coach.

“They gave me a hard time at first, but once they saw me play they welcomed me,” she said. 

She’s a business major and UNOH has a highly regarded business school.

“Their business school is the second biggest department on campus.  I’m excited.”

Mauga also is pleased with her choice.

“They offered me a lot of money, so I’m going to take the money and run,” she said with a wide grin. 

She also will be playing for a new coach.  Bryan Crawford was hired last year to resurrect a program that finished 6-23 last season.  NMHU is hoping he can do the same thing for the Cowgirls program that he did at Iowa Central where his team was 44-6 and he was conference coach of the year.

Like Cantere, she likes the idea of attending a university that boasts small class size. 

“I actually prefer smaller classes,” she said.

Smaller classes will remind her of her two years in Taft.

“I’m really going to miss it (TC).  I wish it was a four-year college.  I’ve really enjoyed my experience here.”

Mauga is majoring in social work but finds the highly acclaimed New Mexico Highlands law school intriguing.

“The university is actually a law school,” she said.  “I may change my major to law.”

Haley Walrath - more than a Volleyball Player
by Matt Henry
Taft Midway Driller
Weekend Edition - May 10-13, 2012

Over the past several years, Haley Walrath has been known as a volleyball player who competed for Taft High and recently for Taft College. Yet there is another sport Walrath has just as much interest in as she gets ready to compete in the WORCS series event (#911) this weekend at Honolulu Hills in Taft.

“It’s been really fun,” Walrath said of her racing career.

Walrath, who rides a Yamaha YSZ 450, has been racing for seven years. She does about 10-12 races a year and does 80 percent of them out of state and about two or three of them in California. Walrath has competed in places like Hurricane Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

So far this year, Walrath has finished first in round two of the Buffalo Bills Women B division in Primm Nevada on February 8. She also finished first in Lake Havasu Arizona on March 22 and first in the women’s B division in Hurricane Utah on April 19. Walrath will be competing this weekend at Honolulu Hills.

With all of the success she has had, she has only crashed once in her life.

“I try to stay on my bike as much as I can,” she said.

One of the things that Walrath has noticed about racing is being in shape. “Just how much shape you have to be in,” she said.

When she is not racing, Walrath rides on the weekends as “often as I can.” She also practices at Honolulu Hills once or twice a month.

Walrath finished up her freshman year at Taft College where she played for the Cougar volleyball team. Last year she competed for the Taft High varsity volleyball team where she was second on the team in kills with 176, third on the team in aces with 23, second in blocks with 46 and leading in digs with 231 as a senior.

While she has played volleyball, once her college career is done, Walrath plans on focusing on her racing career.

“Hopefully I want to go pro,” she said. “I see myself racing like I don now.”

TC Loses Heartbreaker in Volleyball Playoffs
Cougars fall in five after winning the first two sets
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 21, 2012

Taft College’s volleyball season ended Tuesday night with a heartbreaking five-set loss to Gavilan College in Gilroy.
After the No. 9-seeded Cougars won the first two sets 25-22 and 27-25, No. 8 Gavilan fought back to win the next two 25-13 and 25-17 to force a tie-breaking fifth game.

Set five was a back-and-forth struggle with the Rams outlasting the Cougars 21-19.
All-Northern California outside hitter Chanel Cantere again led the Cougar offense with 19 kills and added 16 digs on defense.
Two freshmen also had a big night.

Tiffany Mapusaga led the Cougar defensive effort with 29 digs while Tyra Williams recorded 14 kills, 11 digs and blocked two shots.
The Cougars, after a third place finish in the Central Valley Conference, ended the season with a 17-8 record.

Had TC won the playoff match, the Cougars would have had to play CVC champion and No. 1 seed Fresno City College after the Rams swept No. 16 Diablo Valley.  Fresno beat the Cougars twice during conference play – in five sets and in three. 

7 Cougars Make All CVC Volleyball
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 16, 2012

Taft  --  Taft College landed seven players on the All-Central Valley Conference volleyball team.
The all-star team was selected in Taft Wednesday by a vote of the coaches.

Sophomore outside hitter Chanel Cantere, who leads the team in kills and defensive digs, and sophomore middle blocker Sina Mauga both made the first team.

Cantere ranks fourth in the state in kills and Mauga is the second best blocker in California.

Earning second team recognition were freshman setter Rachel Kapesi, freshman outside hitter and defensive specialist Tiffany Mapusaga and sophomore middle blocker Ono Taotofi, the tallest player on the team at 6-2.

Sophomore middle blocker Madison Lawley and freshman setter Tyra Williams earned honorable mention recognition.

The Cougars finished 17-7 overall and 10-4 for third in the conference behind undefeated Fresno (14-0) and second place Porterville (12-2).

TC is ranked eighth in northern California and awaits Sunday’s playoff seeding meeting to see who and where they will play.

If TC remains in the No. 8 spot, the Cougars will host a playoff game next Tuesday in the Al Baldock Cougar Sports Center.

TC Volleyball Team Works and Waits for Playoff Call
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 12, 2012

Taft College wrapped up the regular season Friday with a volleyball sweep at Reedley College.

But the Cougars, who finished 17-7 overall and 10-4 for third place in the Central Valley Conference, are still practicing this week.

That’s because they will be in the state playoffs, but they’ll have to wait until Sunday before getting the word on whom they’ll play and where.

The Central Valley is perhaps the only conference in the state that ends its season more than a week before playoffs begin.

That’s because conference coaches voted two years ago to tweak the schedule.

Cougar head coach Kanoe Bandy doesn’t like the idea.“That makes it difficult for those of us who make the playoffs,” she said.  “The challenge is to keep your team sharp and motivated when all you do is practice all week and don’t get to play any games.”

She said the CVC is the only conference “as far as I know” that ends its season early.

In last week’s state poll, the Cougars were ranked No. 8 in northern California, and if that holds they would host a first-round match a week from today.
“I’m confident we’ll be in the playoffs but I don’t know if our ranking will hold up when they seed the teams,” Bandy said.  “We could have a problem because Gavilan was ranked ninth and they beat us early in the season, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.”

Fresno swept Porterville Friday to capture its sixth consecutive conference crown.  The Rams, unbeaten in the conference and 23-1 overall, are ranked No. 1 in northern California and No. 2 in the state.

All four of the Cougars’ conference losses were to Fresno and Porterville.  In the first round TC took both to the fifth and deciding set before losing.  In the second half, Fresno swept the Cougars but TC went five sets again with PC, losing the fifth by the same score (15-13).

The state’s No. 1 team is undefeated (26-0) and two-time defending state champion Los Angeles Pierce.  The Brahmas have lost only one set this season.
In the 25-21, 25-9, 25-19 win over Reedley, Chanel Cantere again sparked the offense with 15 kills and added eight digs on defense.

Cougars Beat COS, Await Volleyball Playoffs
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 8, 2012

Taft  --  There was plenty of joy in the gym Wednesday night after the Taft College volleyball team defeated visiting College of the Sequoias and took another step toward a state playoff berth.

That was reason enough to celebrate, but the mood was made more festive with a large contingent from Hawai’i in the Cougar rooting section – all of them family of some of TC’s 10 players from the islands.

Players were showered with floral and candy leis after the 25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 25-10 victory that improved the Cougar record to 9-4 in the conference and 16-7 overall heading into tonight’s regular season finale at Reedley College.

“The (playoff) seeding meeting isn’t until Nov. 18, but we’re going to continue practicing in anticipation of getting into the playoffs,” said head coach Kanoe Bandy.

“But I think we really need to beat Reedley to make that happen.  I think we’re a playoff team without question.  How it all plays out remains to be seen.”
While the scores would lead one to believe the Cougars had an easy time with COS, that wasn’t the case.

“They (COS) had a really nice defense,” Bandy said.  “They dug a lot of balls.  We hit a lot of balls and had to keep hitting before we got them to fall.”
Crowd-pleasing rallies were abundant.

Sequoias overcame a slow start in the second set, trailing the Cougars 5-1 early before taking the lead at 8-7 and never looking back.  TC stayed close but couldn’t reel the Giants back.

That long set took a lot of steam out of the Giants.

In set three the Cougars went on a 7-0 run behind the effective serving of freshman libero Tiffany Mapusaga – a surge that buried the Giants.
Taft raced out to a 7-1 lead in the final set behind leading hitter Chanel Cantere who had 12 kills on the night.

Cantere, who ranks sixth in the state in kills, added 16 digs on defense.

She had a solid supporting cast. Sina Mauga had 9, and Madison Lawley, Ono Taotofi and Tyra Williams all had 8.
Mapusaga led the defensive effort with 17 digs, Williams had 12, Kristin Kamakele 9, Mauga 7, Rachel Kapesi 6, and Dylan Parker and Taotofi one each. Kapesi, with 27 assists and Kerstyn Randall with 12 shared the setting chores.

Cougar Volleyball Canned Food Drive is Wednesday
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 6, 2012

Taft  --  If you're going to Wednesday's Taft College vs. College of the Sequoias volleyball match you'll want to bring some food – not to eat but to contribute to the team's annual canned food drive.

"The admission price is canned food," said coach Kanoe Bandy. "It's our annual canned food drive for Thanksgiving baskets. We appreciate so much the help we get from the community."

First serve in the Al Baldock Cougar Sports Center is at 6 p.m.

The Cougars close out the regular season this week. After hosting Sequoias, they travel to Reedley College on Friday.
TC is in third place in the Central Valley Conference with an 8-4 record (14-8overall) and has beaten both Sequoias and Reedley in the first round of action.
On Friday, the Cougars swept West Hills College in Coalinga 25-15, 25-18, 25-10.

"We played very well," Bandy said. "We played very good defense. West Hills has a very good hitter, and we were able to slow her down. She was really busy. I think she hit about 70 percent of the balls for them."

Bandy was able to clear her bench.

"I was able to play everybody," she said. "I was glad we were able to do that."

The numbers:
Kills – Chanel Cantere 16, Sina Mauga 7, Madison Lawley 5, Tiffany Mapusaga 4, Ono Taotofi and Tyra Williams 1 each.
Digs – Rachel Kapesi 17, Mapusaga 166, Cantere 10, Lani Kaiwi 8, Kristen Kamakele 7, Williams, 2, and Hayley Walrath, Kerstyn Randall, Taotofi, Lawley and Mauga 1 each.
Assists – Kapesi 20, Randall 5.
Blocks – Mauga and Parker 2 each, Cantere, Allison Grubbs, Williams, Mapusaga and Taotofi 1 each.

Cougar Volleyball Wins, But Coach Not Pleased
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
November 1, 2012

Taft  --  Taft College wasn’t sharp in Monday night’s home Central Valley Conference volleyball match against the Merced Blue Devils but managed to escape with a four-set victory.

“It wasn’t pretty,” said head coach Kanoe Bandy after her team improved to 7-4 in the CVC with a 25-23, 25-19, 17-25, 26-16 victory.
When the teams played in Merced in first-round action the Cougars breezed in three sets.

“I didn’t enjoy watching it at all,” Bandy said.  “I think they are mentally exhausted.  I think we’ll cancel practice tomorrow.”
The Cougars were coming off a two-match road trip against the two top teams in the conference – undefeated Fresno and twice-beaten Porterville – matches they lost.

The day before the Merced match, Bandy hosted her team to a pumpkin carving party “to help relieve the pressure a little bit.”
The Cougars got off to a slow start, trailing the Blue Devils through the first set until Sina Mauga got a kill off a short-set from Rachel Kapesi to tie it at 21. 
TC went ahead on a Merced hitting error before Merced tied it on a TC error.

Chanel Cantere, who led the Cougar offense with 21 kills, finished the job with back-to-back kills.

In set two, TC grabbed a 3-2 lead on a kill by Ono Taotofi, who had eight on the night. The Cougars led by as many as eight and staved off a late Blue Devil surge to win by six.  Cantere again scored the clincher.

TC had a 3-2 lead in the third set but Merced took over and maintained a 4-8 point lead to send the match into a fourth set – one the Cougars dominated.
The defensive effort was led by Tiffany Mapusaga’s 18 digs.  She was followed by Kapesi’s 16, Cantere with 12, Tyra Williams with 11 and Kristen Kamakele with 8.

Madison Lawley and Mauga had three blocks each.
Setter Kapesi tossed up 47 assists.

Cougar Volleyball Team Swept by Fresno Rams
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
October 25, 2012

Taft College gave perennial Central Valley Conference volleyball champion Fresno City College a battle when the Rams came to Taft a month ago, but the second round Wednesday night was a completely different story.

The Cougars took Rams to five games in that first meeting before Fresno’s talent and superior depth overtook TC in the fifth game.
The second meeting wasn’t close.

Fresno swept by the Cougars 25-11, 25-15, 25-18.

The loss dropped TC to 8-3 in the conference heading into tonight’s crucial match at Porterville (9-2).  If the Cougars can get a win they should end up in at least a tie for second with the Pirates.

Porterville beat the Cougars in five sets the first time around.

Chanel Cantere led the Cougars in attacks against Fresno with nine.  She added nine digs on defense.

Tiffany Mauga led the defense with 11 digs and Tyra Williams had five kills and 10 digs.

On Monday the Cougars host Merced College in the Al Baldock Cougar Sports Center.  The action begins at 6 p.m.

TC Sweeps Columbia, Awaits Key Rematches
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
October 18, 2012

Taft  --  It took almost as long to hand out the drawing prizes as it did for Taft College to sweep visiting Columbia College Wednesday night in a Central Valley Conference volleyball match.

It was pink ribbon week and the team held fundraisers for breast cancer research.

Prize drawings and donations culminated the team’s annual drive to spread the word about the importance of prevention.  In addition to raising money, the team staffed information booths on campus.

The match was the last tune-up before the Cougars hit the road for rematches with defending champ Fresno and Porterville – teams they lost to in five-set matches in the first round of conference play.

The Cougars dispatched Columbia quickly in the first two sets but the Claim Jumpers put up a fight before bowing in the third game.
The scores were 25-11, 25-5 and 25-19.

Although TC was sharp in the first two sets they got sloppy with their passing in the third, and that gave the Claim Jumpers a spark that kept things close until Madison Lawley, Tiffany Mapusaga and Sina Mauga finished things off with back-to-back-to-back kills.

The Cougars set the tone in the first game, racing out to a quick 11-0 lead before the Claim Jumpers got a kill from Taylor Smahlik to stem the bleeding.
From there the Cougars put it on cruise control.

Game two was even more lopsided. After Columbia led 2-1, the Cougars went on a 6-0 spree ignited by a kill from setter Kerstyn Randall, who had 31 assists on the night.

After Columbia ended the run, the Cougars surged back with 6-0 and 9-0 streaks to bury their guests.
Mapusaga’s back-to-back kills finished it off.

Columbia started the third set with a 3-0 lead, but after Taft wrested it away at 4-3 the Cougars never looked back.

Chanel Cantere led the way with 18 kills, 11 digs and a block. Mapusaga had nine kills and seven digs. Lani Kaiwi and Randall led the team in digs with 12 apiece. Mapusaga led the defense at the net with five blocks.  Lawley had four kills and two blocks and Allison Grubbs one block.
Rounding out the attacks were Dylan Parker with three kills, Mauga, Randall, Ono Taotofi and Tyra Williams with one each.
Lawley, Williams and Haley Walrath had three digs each.

TC gets a week off before heading to Fresno next Wednesday and Porterville two nights later.

“It’ll be hard playing them on the road,” said head coach Kanoe Bandy.  “It was tough when we played them here, but we had our fans behind us.  Playing them there adds to the pressure.  We’re going to see if we can motivate ourselves.  We’re going to have to be more aggressive this time.”

TC Volleyball Promoting Breast Cancer Awareness
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
October 15, 2012

The Taft College volleyball team's annual breast cancer awareness promotion will culminate Wednesday night when the Cougars host Columbia College.
Drawings for prizes donated by local businesses and individuals will be held along with a volleyball match that launches the second half of the Central Valley Conference season.

The match gets underway at 5 p.m., an hour earlier than normal because of the more than five-hour drive required by the team from Columbia, which is just north of Sonora.

Behind a theme of "Dig for a Cure," the Al Baldock Cougar Sports Center will be decked out in pink ribbons and balloons. Fans are encouraged to wear pink. Admission is a donation to breast cancer research.

In addition to rolling out the pink, the team solicits donations of cash and merchandise for drawings and blankets the campus with information about breast cancer.

The Cougars will be looking to repeat last month's sweep of the Claim Jumpers.

TC closed out the first half of CVC play last Friday by sweeping visiting Reedley College 25-18, 25-14, 25-11.

It was the fourth consecutive conference victory and improved the team's CVC record to 5-2 and 12-5 overall. Reedley slipped to 3-4 in the conference.

TC was threatened only in the first set when the Tigers took a 13-12 lead before Sina Mauga slammed home a point off a short-set to get even.

The Cougars took the lead on a hitting error and, although the Tigers tied it at 17, they never made much noise after that.
TC cruised out to a 10-point (15-5) lead in the second set and never looked back.

Mauga's kill and stuff block set the tone at the top of the third set.

"That was fun," said head coach Kanoe Bandy. "Overall, we played better than we did two nights ago (at Sequoias). But we were playing at home where we have a great fan base. It's frustrating we can't play like that all the time."

Mauga finished the night with eight blocks – including two stuffs – to go along with 11 kills and three digs.

Chanel Cantere led the team in attacks with 15 kills and had six digs.

Tiffany Mapusaga led the defensive effort with 10 digs and had four kills.

Ono Taotofi had six blocks, four digs and three kills, Madison Lawley three kills and three digs and libero Lani Kaiwi seven digs.
The Cougars got back the services of two players who have been sidelined the past month.

Starting setter Kerstyn Randall, who's been nursing an ankle injury, was pressed into service a little sooner than Bandy anticipated after suiting up for the first time since Sept. 14.

Back-up Rachel Kapesi went down in the first set after twisting an ankle, so Randall came off the bench and tossed up 26 assists. Kapesi had five assists before being injured.

Outside hitter Dylan Parker, who has been sidelined because of illness, got back into the action, too, and contributed three blocks.

Taft College Seeking 4th Straight CVC Volleyball Win
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
October 11, 2012

Taft  --  Taft College’s volleyball team is looking at extending its Central Valley Conference winning streak to four tonight when the Cougars host Reedley College.

First serve in the Cougar Sports Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Cougars extended their CVC record to 4-2 (11-5 overall) on Wednesday when they swept College of the Sequoias in Visalia.
It was the third straight conference triumph after losing back-to-back five-set matches to defending champ Fresno and Porterville.  Those two sit atop the CVC standings with the Cougars in third.

The scores were 25-18, 25-14, 25-18.

Sophomore outside hitter Chanel Cantere was the team leader in attacks with 16.  She also had 12 digs.

Freshman Tiffany Mapusaga paced the defensive effort with 16 digs and sophomore middle blocker Sina Mauga had another good night at the net with seven blocks to follow up her six-block performance last Friday.  She also had four kills.

Lani Kaiwi and Rachel Kapesi both contributed nine digs, Tyra Williams five and Haley Walrath two. Ono Taotofi had three kills and three blocks and Madison Lawley three service aces. Kapesi had 25 assists as the Cougar setter.

Tonight’s match also is the team’s annual fund-raiser for breast cancer awareness so fans can expect the Cougar Sports Center to be decked out in a lot of pink.

Balance Helps Taft College Sweep West Hills
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
October 8, 2012

A balanced approach utilizing most of the roster guided Taft College to a Central Valley Conference volleyball sweep over visiting West Hills College Friday in the Cougar Sports Center.

The Cougars improved to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference after breezing past the Falcons 25-13, 25-18, 25-13. “We played a little slow,” was head coach Kanoe Bandy’s analysis.  “We were a little out of sorts.  It was frustrating.”

She used her bench liberally. “The good thing is, this week we were able to give everyone some conference game experience.”

The Cougars look to stay on the victory track.  It marked the second consecutive conference win after two tough five-set losses to Fresno and Porterville.

TC travels to Visalia Wednesday to take on College of the Sequoias and will host Reedley College on Friday.  First serve is at 6 both nights.

Chanel Cantere again paced the offense.  She had 18 kills and nine digs on the defensive side.
Tiffany Mapusaga had 10 kills and six digs.

Sina Mauga had a strong night at the net with six blocks – five of them stuff blocks.  She also had five kills.

Setter Rachel Kapesi had 38 assists and 11 digs.

Madison Lawley had four kills and Ono Taotofi five.

Lani Kaiwi and Tyra Williams both had nine digs, Kristen Kamakele four and Haley Walrath three.

TC Loses 'Feast or Famine' 5-set Match to Fresno
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
September 28, 2012

Cougars win first, fourth sets before falling in fifth. It was “Feast or Famine” night at the Cougar Sports Center Wednesday.
At least that’s the way Taft College volleyball coach Kanoe Bandy put it after her team dropped a five-set Central Valley Conference match to Fresno City College.

The Cougars shocked the No. 1 team in northern California and No. 4 in the state by overwhelming the Rams 25-15 in the first set.
“We were just phenomenal,” Bandy said.  “If we play like that all the time we will be unbeatable.”

But the fire went out in a heartbeat when Fresno turned the tables and swamped the Cougars 25-11 in the second set.

Things calmed down a bit when the teams split the next two games – Fresno winning 25-19 and Taft 25-20, but in both of those sets the winning side grabbed an early lead and was never truly threatened after that.

The tie-breaking fifth set started out close but Fresno went on a 6-0 scoring and ran away from the Cougars, 15-6.

“This was a crazy match,” Bandy said.  “In each game one team dominated.  There was not much in-between.”

The Cougars, who were ranked ninth in NorCal and 24th in the state coming into this week’s action will try to regroup tonight when they host vastly improved Porterville College.  The Pirates are 3-0 in the conference and 9-4 overall and ranked No. 6 (NorCal) and No. 17 (state).

TC is 1-1 in the conference and 8-4 overall heading into the 6 p.m. match in the Cougar Sports Center.

Freshman Tiffany Mapusaga had a big night.

She’s short (5-foot-5) for an outside hitter but has great leaping ability.

“Tiffany played really great tonight,” Bandy said.

The Waianae High (Hawaii) product led the team in kills with 12 and digs with 23.

Fresno did a good job containing Cougar sophomore outside hitter Chanel Cantere, limiting her to just 11 kills.  She also didn’t get as many touches on defense but still managed to finish with 14 digs, second best on the team behind Mapusaga.

Freshman libero Lani Kaiwi had 12 digs, Tyra Williams 9 and Rachel Kapesi 8.

Sophomore Sina Mauga led the team in blocks with eight and added nine kills. 
Madison Lawley had nine kills.

Setter Kapesi, who has stepped in for starter Kerstyn Randall, tossed up 42 assists.  Randall is sidelined with an ankle injury and probably won’t be back in the lineup for another two to three weeks, Bandy said.

Sophomore hitter Dylan Parker missed the action due to illness and is doubtful for tonight.

Cougars Host No. 4 Fresno in Home Volleyball Opener
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
September 25, 2012

The road weary Taft College Volleyball team will finally get to play the gym they have been practicing in for nearly two full months.

The Cougars (8-3 overall, 1-0 in Central Valley Conference) will play their home opener Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Cougar Sports Center, and it’ll be a huge challenge.

That’s because five-time defending conference champion Fresno City College brings its experienced and talented team to town.

The Rams are ranked fourth in the state. The Cougars were 23rd in last week’s state poll.

“It’ll be nice to play at home for a change,” said head coach Kanoe Bandy. “But we have a challenge ahead of us. I’ve seen them play and Fresno has an outstanding team.”

Since the team began practicing on Aug. 1 the players and coaches have bused to Lancaster, Stockton (twice), Sacramento, Gilroy, Sonora and San Diego. On five occasions they played two matches a day.

In their final tune-up for the home opener, the Cougars won the championship at the San Diego City College tournament last Saturday.

They were led by sophomore outside hitter Chanel Cantere, who earned all-tuornament honors with her 33 kills and 31 digs.

The tourney format was best 2-of-3 in pool play and single games in the semi-finals and finals.

TC defeated Cerritos (25-23, 25-22), Rio Hondo (25-21, 25-17) and South Mountain (25-18, 25-13) in pool play, then beat Arizona Western (25-17) in the semi-finals and South Mountain again (28-25) in the title match.

Tiffany Mapusaga added 19 kills and 48 digs for the Cougars, Sina Mauga 18 kills and 13 blocks, and Madison Lawley 11 kills and 11 blocks.

TC Sweeps Columbia in Conference Opener
Taft Midway Driller
September 20, 2012

Taft College got off to a good start in the Central Valley Conference volleyball race Wednesday night with a road win over Columbia College. The Cougars swept the Claimjumpers 25-16, 25-10, 25-20.

The win pushed TC’s record to 8-3 overall as the Cougars get one final non-conference outing Saturday in the San Diego City College tournament before returning to CVC action, Wednesday with their first home match of the season. And it will be a tough one. TC will host five-time defending conference champion Fresno City College, currently ranked fourth in the state.

In the Columbia sweep, sophomore outside hitter Chanel Cantere was the spark with 11 kills and 10 digs. Madison Lawley had six kills and four stuff blocks and freshman Tiffany Mapusaga five kills and nine digs.

Taft vs DeAnza College and San Joaquin Delta College @ Delta
W: 25-18, 25-20, 25-15 DeAnza
W: 25-15, 25-21, 27-25 Delta
by Madison Lawley
September 6, 2012

In the first tournament of the season Taft has shown great promise and potential. In the first game Taft challenged De Anza. Taft started out great creating a strong lead. With key points scored by players like Chanel Cantere and Sina Mauga, Taft gained momentum that helped carry them through the match. De Anza’s team was small and scrappy, so it forced Taft to play smart, adjust our blocks, and communicate better on the court for us to pull out the win. On the court not only did the hitters shine, but the setters, Kerstyn Randall and Rachel Kapesi did a great job playing smart, and setting up the hitters with the right sets to get kills. And without a pass none of this could have happened. Our libero, Kristen Kamakele did a fantastic job in the back row passing up tough serves, and getting multiple digs. Taft sweeps the first match.
                                                                                                         

Taft vs Fresno City College
L: 23-25, 20-25, 22-25
by Kelsey McFarland
November 7, 2011

Taft College traveled to Fresno to play Fresno City Rams for the second time during conference.  After a close match and disappointing loss on home court, the lady Cougars knew this would be a tough match, and they’d have to play their best.  Fresno’s serves made it difficult for TC to have good passing in serve receive. The block in the front row did a fantastic job of helping defense and slowing balls down, making it much easier to get some kills. In the end Fresno’s offense proved to be too quick, and their defense was playing tough.  Fresno swept TC in 3 games.  Chanel Cantere had 7 kills, 3 aces, 2 blocks and 13 digs for the match. Sina Mauga followed with 6 kills and 5 blocks.  Mele Yama had 15 assists, and 1 kill.

Taft vs Porterville College
W: 25-11, 26-28, 19-25, 21-25
by Kelsey McFarland
November 7, 2011

Taft College was taking on the Porterville Pirates for the second time, looking to redeem themselves from the loss on the Pirates home court. Porterville is currently tied for 1st in conference. The Cougars started the match off with a winning momentum and the attitude to win, taking the Pirates 25-11. Porterville did not give the fight up easy, with the second game neck in neck till the end and Porterville getting the win. It was up to Taft to keep spirits up and take the next two games, but they fell short in a disappointing loss. Chanel Cantere had a fantastic offensive game with 22 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks, and 1 ace. Dylan Parker contributed 10 kills, and Brittany Peterson had 11. Libero Jordyn Grissom had 35 digs, Janine Orosco followed with 12.  Mele Yama had 36 assists for the match.

Taft vs Reedley College
W: 25-22, 25-18, 25-19
by Kelsey McFarland
October 30, 2011

Taft The Cougars hosted Reedley College Tigers on their home court, hoping to pull off a win as they did while at Reedley. The blocking in the front row helped the defense tremendously, and when the passing was done well the offense was able to put the ball away. Chanel Cantere led the Cougars with 20 kills, 7 digs and 1 ace.  Brittany Peterson and Sina Mauga each had 5 kills, Sina with 4 blocks and Brittany with 3.Kerstyn Randall had 25 assists, 5 digs and 5 aces. Taft swept Reedley in 3 games.

Taft vs Columbia College
W: 25-9, 25-17, 25-21
by Kelsey McFarland
October 28, 2011

Taft College Volleyball made a 5 hour trip to Sonora to play Columbia College for the second time in conference.  After taking a short trip to Columbia State Park, the Cougars were ready to take on the Claim Jumpers.  By taking an early lead and playing hard, TC had the opportunity to put more players in the game.  The night ended successful with the Cougars sweeping Columbia in three games. Brittany Peterson led the offense with 11 kills, Chanel Cantere followed with 9, and 11 digs.  Jordyn Grissom had 6 digs. Kerstyn Randall had 28 assists 3 aces and 2 digs.

Taft vs Merced College
W: 25-21, 25-19, 25-23
by Kelsey McFarland
October 17, 2011

On Friday, Taft College hosted the Merced Blue Devils in the Cougar Sports Center. This particular game was special, because it was the breast cancer awareness game. The girls had been working during the week leading up to this game, handing out information on breast cancer prevention, selling raffle tickets, and decking the gym out in pink. Despite all of the things going on that week, the Lady Cougars needed to focus on the game, and playing to win. By getting an early lead TC was successful in keeping a winning momentum throughout the entire match. Taft swept Merced in three games, led by Chanel Cantere with 12 kills and 3 digs and Brittany Peterson with 10 kills and 3 blocks. Kerstyn Randall had 18 assists and Mele Yama had 11. Jordyn Grissom contributed 9 digs.

Taft vs College of the Sequoias
W: 27-25, 25-21, 25-17
by Kelsey McFarland
October 13, 2011

TC traveled to Visalia to play College of the Sequoias. The cougars started the match winning game one by just two points. Eliminating errors previously made, TC created more of a comfortable lead in the following games. Chanel Cantere led the Cougars with 13 kills, 13 kids, 1 block and 1 ace. Middle blocker Brittany Peterson followed in kills with 9, and 5 blocks. Jordyn Grissom had 15 digs for the match and Kerstyn Randall had 19 assists and 11 digs. Taft College swept COS and left the Giants’ gym satisfied that they had played to win.

Taft vs Fresno City College
L: 22-25, 24-26, 25-27
by Kelsey McFarland
October 8, 2011

At a home game against the Fresno City Rams, TC played their hardest in a close match with many tied scores and lead changes. In a fast paced game with many rallies there was no room for error. Although the Cougars were swept by the Rams, the Cougars were able to leave the gym confident that they did their best. Chanel Cantere had 16 kills, 2 blocks and 8 digs. Jazmin Matapua had 5 kills, 3 digs. Brittany Peterson had 4 blocks, and Sina Mauga 3. Kristen Kamakele had 10 digs. Mele Yama had 20 assists total, and Kerstyn Randall contributed 7 assists, 7 digs and 1 kill.

Shannon (Milicic) Hitzman
October 10, 2011

While the volleyball team was in San Diego last month at a tournament at San Diego City College, we had a chance meeting with former player from the 2003 Central Valley Conference Championship team, Shannon (Milicic) Hitzman (more)

Michelle in Butte
September 28, 2011

Coach Bandy had an opportunity to go to Butte, Montana to watch Michelle Hardy play volleyball on September 16th and 17th.   After participating for two seasons here at Taft College, Michelle was offered a full scholarship to play for the Orediggers at Montana Tech University.  Montana Tech is in the Frontier Conference, playing Great Falls, Rocky Mountain, MSU-Northern and Lewis-Clark State, just to name a few.  Michelle is setting for the team along with a sophomore out of Yerington, NV.  Michelle is majoring in Nursing and hopes to become a Pediatric Nurse.  She will actually spend 3 years at Montana Tech in order to finish her Nursing degree.

Taft vs Porterville College
L: 25-9, 25-19, 30-28
by Kelsey McFarland
October 6, 2011

TC volleyball traveled to Porterville College to take on the Pirates. From the very start of the game Porterville was not giving up easy points. The Cougars had trouble with serve receive and made too many errors to be able to recover and take the lead. The night ended in a loss for Taft. Chanel Cantere contributed 12 kills and Dylan Parker followed with 6. Jordyn Grissom had 17 digs for the night and Kerstyn Randall had 13 assists, while Mele Yama had 10.

Taft vs Columbia College
W: 25-11, 25-15, 25-6
by Kelsey McFarland
October 3, 2011

Taft College hosted Columbia for the first conference home game of season with the intent of keeping their winning record. TC’s defense was quick, and finished the game with zero errors. The offense was also able to keep the errors to a minimum and did a fantastic job of putting the ball away. The Lady Cougars swept Columbia in three games. Chanel Cantere had 14 kills, 3 aces, and 9 digs. Brittany Peterson contributed 13 kills, 2 blocks and 3 aces. Libero Jordyn Grissom had 13 digs. Mele Yama had 23 assists, Kerstyn Randall followed with 14 assists.

San Diego City College Tournament
Phoenix College L: 14-25, 12-25
Rio Hondo W: 25-17, 25-20, 25-9
Citrus College L: 19-25, 20-25
San Diego City W: 25-12

by Kelsey McFarland
September 26, 2011

The Lady Cougars made their way to San Diego this weekend to participate in a one day tournament at San Diego City College. The day would begin with pool play, the best of three games.

TC Volleyball began the day challenging the eventual tournament champions, Phoenix College. After a disappointing loss the Cougars went on to defeat Rio Hondo. For the third game of pool play, TC lost to Citrus College, landing them in the consolation bracket for the single elimination round. Only having one game to 25, Taft was able to get a win against SDCC, which placed them in the championship game for the consolation bracket against Rio Hondo for a second time that day. Taft defeated Rio Hondo with great teamwork and communication.

Taft College left the tournament as number 1 in the consolation bracket. Middle Blocker Brittany Peterson had an outstanding tournament and helped the team dramatically both offensively and defensively. As a total Brittany left the tournament with 18 kills, 2 aces, 10 blocks, and 5 digs. She was also named on the SDCC All-Tournament Team.

Taft vs West Hills College
W: 25-12, 25-20, 25-9
by Kelsey McFarland
September 23, 2011

The Taft College Volleyball team was ready to start their season off with a win as they traveled to West Hills College for their first conference game. TC did a great job of playing like a team and keeping the errors to a minimum. The girls kept up their momentum throughout the entire match, winning in a three game sweep. Chanel Cantere led the Cougars offense with 18 kills, Dylan Parker with 6. Setter Mele Yama had 21 assists for the match. Jordyn Grissom had 12 digs, and Chanel Cantere contributed 10 digs. Helping with the defense, Brittany Peterson had 5 blocks, and Sina Mauga with 3.

Taft vs American River College
L 22-25, 11-25, 18-25
by Kelsey McFarland
September 20, 2011

Taft Volleyball traveled to Sacramento for two non-conference games on Wednesday, September 14. TC was swept by American River College, one of the strongest teams in Northern California. Chanel Cantere led the Cougars’ offense as well as defense with 10 kills and 10 digs. Jordyn Grissom followed with 6 digs. Sina Mauga helped the defense with 5 blocks, Brittany Peterson 2. Setter Mele Yama finished the game with 23 assists.

Taft vs Shasta College
W 25-18, 25-23, 25-13

Following the disappointing loss against American River, the Cougars went on to immediately play the Shasta College Knights. Eager for redemption, Taft was able to sweep the Knights. The Cougars’ quick defense and smart shots of the offense made this win possible. Chanel Cantere had 13 digs, Jordyn Grissom 12. Sina Mauga had 3 blocks, Brittany Peterson followed with 2. Chanel Cantere had an excellent offensive game with 15 kills.

San Joaquin Delta Tournament
2 Wins/2 Losses
by Kelsey McFarland
September 15, 2011

Friday, Sept. 9
Cabrillo: L 16-25, 14-25, 16-25
Butte: W 25-13, 22-25,25-16,26-24

TC Cougars traveled to San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton for the Delta Tournament. The Cougars started the day off hoping for a win against Cabrillo. Cabrillo proved to be a tough opponent for Taft, sweeping them in 3 games. Eager to redeem themselves, TC went on to play Butte. The Cougars were able to get an early lead in the first game by 12 points, giving them a winning momentum throughout the entire match, only giving up one game 22-25. Taft did a fantastic job of communicating on the court and keeping errors to a minimum.

Saturday, Sept. 10
Solano: W 25-15, 23-25, 25-20, 25-12
Gavilan: L 25-22, 16-25, 23-25, 25-16, 11-15

The following day began with the Cougars taking on Solano. Once again, the Cougars were able to keep their winning streak going from the previous day. With a big block in the front row and a quick defense to back them up, Taft was able to defeat Solano in 4 games.

Taft vs San Joaquin Delta
L: 13-25, 13-25, 20-25
by Kelsey McFarland
September 14, 2011

TC traveled to San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton today to take on Delta for another pre-season game.  Unable to get an early lead, Cougars had difficulty picking up their pace to catch up with Delta. By making errors on serve receive and defense, the offense was unable to push for extra points. The day ended in a loss for TC.

Honorary Volleyball Team Member
by Kelsey McFarland
September 7, 2011

During the women’s volleyball 3 week summer class, the team had a new guest joining them.  Taft College student, Debra Burton, needed one more PE credit to graduate, so as a result, the girls had an opportunity to meet this fantastic woman.

Being an intercollegiate volleyball class, this was an extremely difficult session to participate in for anybody. Beginning with a 4 hour class session, Debra would quickly pick up skills that the girls have been practicing for years. She would then lift weights with the team for an hour as a part of the class.

The improvement in physical fitness and skills for Debra was tremendous, and the volleyball team was more than happy to have her participate. Her positive attitude and readiness to try anything was inspirational. Debra is considered an honorary member of Taft College volleyball team.

Incoming Volleyball Player is Honored by State Representative, John Mizuno, for Giving up Gang Life for College Volleyball
by Wes Nakama
May 3, 2011

As a Farrington High School sophomore two years ago, Onolina Taotofi was often using her hands to rough people up and get into trouble. These days, she uses them to block volleyballs at the net or spike them down to the opponents' side of the floor. Taotofi also uses her hands to turn textbook pages and take care of other schoolwork in preparation for next month's graduation ceremony and her freshman year at Taft (Calif.) College. And someday in the not-so-distant future, she hopes to use those same hands to steer other kids away from gangs and into a path toward being a productive citizen. "I want to come back and help kids like me, kids who are going through what I went through," Taotofi said. "It's important for them to see that they can have opportunities like this, too, no matter their background." 

FIGHTS EVERY WEEK
Taotofi's background is similar to many at Farrington -- growing up at Kuhio Park Terrace surrounded by poverty, bad elements and temptation.  "I was in a gang, with people I grew up with," Taotofi said. "I was the only girl, so if there was a problem with a girl, I would take care of it. I would usually fight every week." This lifestyle extended to campus and resulted in failing grades and regular trips to vice principal Ronald Oyama's office.

Adult Friends for Youth -- a Honolulu-based non-profit social services program geared toward helping at-risk children -- stepped in, and mentor Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga said he noticed something about Taotofi right away. "She was real sweet, a nice kid," Maumalanga said. "When other people described her to me, and then when I met her ... it was two different things. Almost the total opposite." But Maumalanga said it took patience and time to turn Taotofi around, beginning from the middle of her freshman year until into the first semester of her junior year. "It's easy for these kids to get sucked in (to gang life)," Maumalanga said. "A lot of them have plenty of potential, the majority of them are smart. But they lose focus and lose hope, and after a while they fall back into it, because that's all they know. "We had to get more involved with (Taotofi), because she was always using her hands to solve problems."

TURNING POINT
With many kids, Maumalanga said he tries to "push them toward sports," and Taotofi had potential as an athletic 6-foot-1 middle blocker. But she was kicked off the team her junior year for fighting. Taotofi said a turning point came when her mom scolded her for giving everybody such a hard time. "She cried, and then I started to get emotional," Taotofi said. "I knew I had to change for her, and for myself." Through Adult Friends for Youth's "Redirectional Method" aimed at very high-risk kids, she received counseling to learn alternate ways of addressing her negative behavior and anger. Her grades improved, and she had a successful senior season of volleyball. "(Maumalanga) would ask questions about what I was doing, he made me think, and every time I came to practice, Coach (Reagan) Agena said no (gang) rags," Taotofi said. "He would talk to me about my grades."

Oyama encouraged her to think about playing college volleyball and later -- with the support of several sponsors -- Taotofi joined the Impact Hawai'i Volleyball club. At a prestigious club tournament in Las Vegas two months ago, Taotofi drew the attention of Taft head coach Kanoe Bandy, who invited Taotofi to join the team in the fall. "This is a great success story, it shows that anything is possible," said State Rep. John Mizuno (D-Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, Moanalua, Fort Shafter), who presented Taotofi with a proclamation at an April 15 school assembly. "She can be a shining light for so many kids in the Kalihi area, she can lead by example because she has such an outstanding future. A lot of people got involved and helped her, and it sets the stage to show that the system can work if we allow it to work."

'NOW I'M MOTIVATED'
Taotofi said the thought of playing college volleyball and eventually earning a social work degree has helped shift her focus from fighting to studying and training. "Now I'm motivated," she said. "After I changed my grades, I realized this would improve my life and get me ready for college."  And in what might be the best part of all, her story was told in front of over 2,000 fellow Governors at Friday's assembly -- hopefully inspiring others to follow her lead. "I felt excited," she said. 

TC Volleyball Player Earns Scholarship
Taft Midway Driller
by Dennis McCall
March 22, 2011

From the surf of Hawaii to the desert of Taft, and now to the snow-covered peaks of Montana. That’s the journey Taft College standout Michelle Hardy has taken in her volleyball career. The 5-foot-4 setter for Moanalua High in Honolulu has signed a letter of intent to play for Montana Tech Orediggers, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Butte. “It will be a new experience for me,” she said. “Going from Hawaii to California was a big difference, Going from California to Montana is a big difference, but I’m ready for the challenge.” She turned down an offer form Chaminade University in her hometown because “you only live once.” Besides, she wants to become a pediatric nurse and Montana Tech, a branch of the University of Montana, has an excellent nursing program.  Tech also has made the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report “best colleges” list. “That was a big plus, Hardy said.  “Nursing is one of their biggest programs.  They have a great job placement program.”

“I’m really happy for her,” said TC athletic director and head volleyball coach Kanoe Bandy. “She makes us all look good.” Bandy was worried that her decision to switch Hardy from defensive specialist to setter this year might hinder the sophomore’s opportunity to get scholarship offers. “I did not want it to have a negative affect,” she said.  “I’m very happy to know she got an opportunity and a good one at that.” Hardy was an all-conference libero her freshman season, but actually welcomed the move to setter. “I just wanted to play where she needed me,” she said.  “I didn’t care.  As a setter, you have to lead the team, and I think I do a good job of that.  I have good work ethic.” Coming to Taft was a good choice, she said. “It’s been great.  I’m very happy I came here.  Kanoe makes sure her girls are taken care of.  The athletes are all very close.” Before heading to Butte after earning her Associate in Science degree from TC in May, Hardy will spend the summer home in Honolulu-at the beach. “I’m always at the beach, but I never learned how to surf,” she said.  “This summer I’m going to learn how to surf.”

Youth Volleyball Clinic 2011

(More Photos in Photos Tab)
by Kelsey McFarland
November 15, 2010

Taft College Volleyball and the West Side Recreation & Park District collaborated to host a youth volleyball clinic, ages 6-14.  This volleyball clinic started February 28th and ends on April 6th.  The youth and instructional clinic helped the girls develop basic skills and coordination.  The clinic was a success, and it has been a fun experience for TC volleyball and the girls who participated.

Coach Spotlight	Jockey Club:
Taft's Bandy honored for 400th Victory Current Taft College Women's Volleyballl Coach, Kanoe Bandy, was given an award for having 400+ wins in her coaching career Read more.	Morgan Blair, Michelle Hardy, and Tina Pulu were honored at a banquet last week as a Kern County Outstanding Athlete by the Bakersfield Jockey Club.

Taft vs Columbia
W: 25-23, 25-17, 25-18
by Kelsey McFarland
November 15, 2010

For the last game of conference, Taft Volleyball traveled to Sonora to take on the Columbia Claim Jumpers.   The Cougars did a great job of keeping a positive attitude on the court, even if they were down a couple of points. They were able to sweep Columbia in three games with the help of a big block in the front row and a smart offense. It was good to end the season on such a positive note. Brittany Peterson led the team with 13 kills and 6 blocks, and Tina Pulu followed with 11 kills and 4 digs. Morgan Blair and Jordyn Grissom each had 12 digs. Michelle Hardy contributed 31 assists, 3 blocks, and 8 digs.

Taft vs College of the Sequoias
L: 24-26, 28-26, 15-25, 19-25
by Kelsey McFarland
November 11, 2010

On Wednesday, November 10, the Lady Cougars played their last home game of the season against COS. Unable to get an early lead, the Cougars had to make up for lost points but fell short by 2 points in the first game. The Cougars were then able to take the second game, eliminating some mistakes made in the previous game. The long rallies and good coverage on each side of the net made for a close match. COS was able to take the last two games, ending in a 3-1 loss for Taft. Morgan Blair had 14 kills and 14 digs, and Tina Pulu contributed 14 kills, 9 digs. Michelle Hardy had 32 assists, 5 kills, and 12 digs, and Jordyn Grissom had 11 digs.

Taft vs Porterville
L: 23-25, 18-25, 22-25
by Kelsey McFarland
November 8, 2010

In an away game against Porterville College, the Lady Cougars took on the Pirates. From the very start the Pirates were not giving away easy points. TC had some trouble with serve receive, but when the passing was done well, the offense was able to put the ball away. In the end, Taft came up short to Porterville 3-0. Tina Pulu had 10 kills and 7 digs, Morgan Blair followed with 9 kills. Brittany Peterson and Kelcey Viliamu each had 8 kills. Michelle Hardy contributed 33 assists and 5 digs, and Jordyn Grissom had 7 digs.

Taft vs Fresno City
L: 15-25, 12-25, 12-25
by Kelsey McFarland
November 4, 2010

Wednesday was another home game at TC for the Lady Cougars as they set out to win against conference leader, Fresno City College.  The pace of the game was fast and there was little room for errors against the Rams. TC played well and fought hard, but the match ended in a loss for the Cougars. Tina Pulu had 8 kills, 4 digs. Jordyn Grissom had 12 digs, and Brittany Peterson had 5 blocks.

Taft hosted West Hills on Friday, October 29th. The Cougars showed up with a winning attitude and had quick defense to back it up. TC showed their persistence and won the match in a three game sweep. Tina Pulu led the team in kills with 13, Morgan Blair followed with 11. Brittany Peterson contributed 4 kills and 2 blocks, while Jordyn Grissom had 11 digs.

Taft vs Reedley
W: 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17
by Kelsey McFarland
October 26, 2010

TC Volleyball traveled to Reedley College on Monday to take on the Tigers, knowing they had a good game ahead of them.  Taft started each game with trouble getting an early lead, but made up for it throughout the match with their quick defense and smart offense. The Lady Cougars were able to win the first two games, but Reedley fought back hard, winning a close 3rd game by 2 points. The Taft Cougars were able to leave Reedley with another victory with 3 games to 1. Michelle Hardy hit a game high of 53 assists.  Tina Pulu had an outstanding 22 kills, Morgan Blair had 14 kills, and Kelcey Viliamu, 11.  Brittany Peterson contributed 9 timely blocks. On defense, Jordyn Grissom had 27 digs in just 2 games and Tina Pulu had 15.

Taft vs Merced
W: 25-11, 25-14, 23-25, 25-22
by Kelsey McFarland
October 21, 2010

TC Volleyball took on Merced at home on Wednesday. The Lady Cougars started a winning streak, taking the first two games by having minimum unforced errors and a strong defense. Unfortunately TC lost their winning momentum for a short time, and Merced took the 3rd game. Taft then won the match 3-1 by taking the fourth game 25-22. Tina Pulu contributed 16 kills and 9 digs, setter Michelle Hardy had 40 assists, 9 digs, and 3 aces.  Jordyn Grissom had 21 digs to also contribute to the Cougar’s win.

Taft vs Columbia
W: 25-8, 25-19, 25-21
by Kelsey McFarland
October 16, 2010

Taft played Columbia on home court on Friday, October 15th. The Cougars showed that they came ready to play and won the first game 25-8, then continued to win the second and third game, resulting in a three game sweep. Columbia was able to gain more points each game but the Cougars played to win and it paid off. Tina Pulu had 14 kills, 11 digs.  Brittany Peterson and Janine Orosco each had 7 kills, while Morgan Blair and Jordyn Grissom each had 8 digs.

Taft vs College of Sequioas
L: 2-3 25-15, 22-25, 25-27, 25-20, 10-15
by Kelsey McFarland
October 14, 2010

Taft volleyball played away today being hosted by the COS Giants. Cougars were able to start off strong defeating the Giants in the first game 25-15. TC tried to keep the positive momentum going but fell short in the second and third game due to so many unforced errors and trouble finding holes in the Giant’s defense. TC was not going to give up that quickly; and by using COS’s block and reading the offense better, the Cougars took the fourth game 25-20. This sent them into a 5th game to break the tie. Unable to get an early lead, TC was having trouble making up for the early lost points. The match ended in a loss for the Cougars.

Taft vs Porterville
W: 3-1 25-13, 21-25, 25-11 25-17
by Kelsey McFarland
October 8, 2010

On Friday, Taft Cougars played the Porterville Pirates on their home court.  The Cougars got an early lead winning the first game by 12 points.  TC put up a big block in the front row and strong defense to back it up, but in the second game of the match Porterville found its way around the defense, winning 21-25.  TC was then able to take the momentum back and win the next two matches. Middle blocker Kelcey Viliamu had an outstanding 8 blocks and Brittany Peterson had 7. Morgan Blair contributed 11 kills and 18 digs, while Tina Pulu had 17 kills, and Janine Orosco with 6. Nicole Gummersall had 15 digs to also contribute to the 3-1 victory.

On Wednesday, TC Volleyball traveled to Fresno City to take on the Rams. Taft came up short the first game 18-25, only to take the next game 25-23. Although Taft was having difficulty passing, the Lady Cougars block in the front row helped defense dramatically, and offense was hitting smart shots around Fresno’s defense. It was a close match, but unfortunately Fresno City won the 3rd and 4th games, defeating Taft 3-1. Tina Pulu contributed 13 kills, Morgan Blair 9, and Janine Orosco 7. Morgan Blair had 10 digs while Michelle Hardy had 12, and Tina Pulu 8. Brittany Peterson had 5 timely blocks while Kelcey Viliamu and Michelle Hardy each had 4.

Taft vs Sierra & Shasta
by Kelsey McFarland
October 4, 2010

TC traveled to Rocklin this weekend to play their last pre-season games against Sierra and Shasta. Starting off playing Sierra, the Cougars played with a fast pace and kept the errors to a minimum. It was an extremely close game between the two opponents, but it ended up in a disappointing loss.

TC then went on to play Shasta, determined to walk away with a victory. Taft took the first two games away from Shasta, and the Knights fought back winning the 3rd game by 2 points. The significance of this set was that the Cougars were down 8-18.  They fought back to tie it at 23-23, but lost it 25-23.  We had regained our momentum and showed perseverance.  The Cougars were able to defeat Shasta in the 4th game, winning the match 3 sets to 1.

Sierra: L: 21-25 14-25 8-25
Shasta: W:  25-19 25-23 23-25 25-22

Taft vs West Hills
W: 3-1 25-15, 24-26, 25-13 25-12
by Kelsey McFarland
October 4, 2010

On Friday, TC took on West Hills on their home court.  The Lady Cougars won the first set, and came up short in the second. The Cougars then picked up their game, taking over the next two games and winning the match overall 3 sets to 1.Tina Pulu had 17 timely kills, 1 block, and 13 digs. Libero Nicole Gummersall had 16 digs overall. Kelcey Viliamu contributed 12 kills and 6 blocks, while Brittany Peterson had 5 blocks.

Taft vs Reedley
W: 3-1 25-22, 8-25, 25-20 25-20
by Kelsey McFarland
October 4, 2010

TC played on their home court on Wednesday against Reedley College, for their second conference match.  Starting out strong, they won the first game 25-22. The Lady Cougars then took a down turn in the second set, losing it 8-25.  TC quickly picked it up and defeated the Tigers in the next two games to win the match 3 sets to 1. Outside Hitter Morgan Blair contributed 13 kills and a total of 10 digs. Michelle Hardy had 36 assists, 2 blocks, and 12 digs. Tina Pulu and Nicole Gummersall both contributed with 11 digs.

San Diego City Tournament
by Kelsey McFarland
September 25, 2010

TC volleyball traveled to San Diego this weekend for the San Diego City College tournament. Beginning the long day at 8:00 AM, Taft played a total of 5 matches. The lady cougars won 1 out of the 4 consecutive matches, and then went on to single elimination. TC started off strong but in an extremely close match, came up short just by 2 points.

San Diego City: L: 28-26 14-25 11-15
LATTC: W: 25-13 25-8
Phoenix: L: 14-25 17-25
Chaffey: L: 23-25 21-25
Southwestern: L: 24-26

Taft vs Merced
W: 3-0 25-23, 27-25, 25-18
by Kelsey McFarland
September 23, 2010

Taft College Volleyball traveled to Merced College this Wednesday, confident they were going to win their first conference game of the season. Merced proved to be a strong competitor against Taft with a good block and very quick defense; it was a close match the entire time. The Lady Cougars stayed persistent and focused in order to win the match in three sets. Middle Blocker Kelcey Viliamu had 9 kills, 1 ace, and 6 blocks, while Freshman Brittany Peterson had 4 kills and 4 blocks. Morgan Blair had a great defensive night with 16 digs and libero Nicole Gummersall contributed 15 digs and 3 aces. Outside hitter Tina Pulu also had 7 kills for the night and setter Michelle Hardy had 29 assists and 1 ace. Come support TC volleyball in their next home game against Reedley College on Wednesday, September 29th.

Taft vs De Anza
W: 3-0
by Kelsey McFarland
September 15, 2010

TC Volleyball started out the season right at their first home game against De Anza. The scores were close throughout each game but Taft always finished on top winning the match in three games. TC had less serving and hitting errors then De Anza which helped contribute to the victory. Morgan Blair contributed 10 kills and 12 digs, Janine Orosco had a total of 7 kills and 6 digs, Brittany Peterson added 4 blocks while Tina Pulu also had 7 kills.

San Joaquin Delta Tournament
by Kelsey McFarland
September 10-11, 2010

TC Volleyball made their way up to San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California this weekend for a 2 day tournament. The first day they played Foothill and Siskiyous. TC had great defense and not many errors but still lost to Foothill 3-0. In a close match with the Siskiyous Eagles, Taft came up short 3-2. Saturday TC returned ready to play hard and play like a team, which proved to work as they set the pace defeating Chabot 3-1. Keeping up the winning momentum, they moved on to sweep Shasta 3-0. Overall in the tournament Tina Pulu had an outstanding 48 kills, Michelle Hardy 13 aces and 138 assists. Libero Nicole Gummersall had a total of 36 digs, and Kelcey Viliamu contributed 8 blocks and 24 kills. Freshman outside hitter Janine Orosco had 32 kills and Brittany Peterson added 11 blocks.

Foothill: L:25-14, 25-20, 25-22
Siskiyous: L:25-19 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-5
Chabot: W: 25-20 25-20 25-16 25-21
Shasta: W: 25-19 25-13 25-10

Taft vs Gavilan
W: 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 28-26)
by Kelsey McFarland
September 5, 2010

Immediately following the disappointing loss to Feather River the Cougars took to the court again, this time to face Gavilan. With the opening game jitters behind them the Lady Cougars got on pace with a 25-23 win in the opening game. The Gavilan Lady Rams gave notice that this was not going to be an easy afternoon winning the second game 25-22. But the Cougars proved to be too much for Gavilan winning the next two games 25-21 and 28-26. Tina Pulu’s 19 kills in the second game gave her a total of 37 for the afternoon. Kelcey Viliamu had 8 timely kills and 5 blocks while Michelle Hardy added 32 assists.

Taft vs Feather River
L: 1-3 (23-25, 15-25, 25-18, 18-25)
by Kelsey McFarland
September 5, 2010

Taft College Women’s Volleyball team headed to Gavilan to play Feather River for their first pre-season game. After a four and a half hour bus ride the Cougar women took to the court with a slight case of pre-game jitters. This was evident with difficulties in receiving Feather River’s serves and covering the Golden Eagle’s block. The Cougars were competitive throughout the match but despite some outstanding individual play from outside hitter Tina Pulu with 18 kills and 11 digs and libero Nicole Gummersall’s 11 digs the Cougars came up short 1 to 3.

Preseason Outlook
Coach Kanoe Bandy
September 9, 2010

This year’s team is a lot of fun to work with.  We are not a very tall team, but we are very strong.  The sophomores returned in terrific condition and have been leaders in the weight room. The goal of the sophomores was to return leaner and stronger than when they left.  This may be one of the strongest teams I have had the opportunity to work with. My hope is that the strength can be translated into good volleyball skills as well.

Let me introduce the 2010 volleyball team beginning with our returning sophomores.    This year we have 4 returning players. First is Michelle Hardy.  Michelle came to us as a setter, but as a freshman she was moved to libero.  Michelle made the all conference team as a libero.   I hesitated in moving her back to the setter position, but have found that her experience is invaluable as a setter.  The second returning player is Nicole Gummersall from Utah.  She worked the summer here in Taft and spent countless hours working out to be physically prepared for the season.  She will replace Michelle in the libero position.  Next is Tina Pulu, a starting outside hitter from last year who also made the all conference team.  The last returner is Morgan Blair, a local Taft player who was the other starting outside hitter as a freshman. 

The freshman group begins with another local from Taft, Jordyn Grissom.  She will also be utilized as a libero.  Next are two friends out of the Mililani High School in Hawaii, both outside hitters, Faia Asuega and Janine Orosco.   They are joined by a setter/outside hitter from the island of Kaui, Mele Yama.  Our other Hawaii player is Kelcey Viliamu.  Her name may sound familiar even though she did not complete her volleyball season last year.  She found  tremendous success on our softball team last spring, particularly in the batter’s box.  Kelcey will play middle blocker with Brittany Peterson, also a softball player from Utah.  These are our two tallest players who we will rely heavily on along the net.  Our final player comes to us from Las Vegas, outside hitter, Kelsey McFarland. 

This team can be characterized by their strength and work ethic.  We hope that it translates into wins on the court.