ATHERTON, CA – Women's Volleyball hosted their final preseason match of the season against Fresno Pacific on Tuesday night and dominated, taking it 3 sets to 1! This Oaks victory is the second in a row of opponents from Menlo's future home, the PacWest Conference. This is a huge confidence boost going into a full week and a half break, then straight to GSAC Conference play!
Amey Rainaud-Hinds Continues to Reign!
In a side-by-side comparison of Menlo to Fresno Pacific, the two teams competed well against each other. It was close in all statistics, but one that Menlo overpowers is their digs. Menlo totaled 69 digs as a team and the leader today was none other than, Amey Rainaud-Hinds. She earned 19 digs against the Sunbirds and is now #1 in the NAIA with 219 digs! Rainaud is also #1 in the GSAC, and the next best is Natalie Escher from Vanguard, with 152. Amey averages 5.62 digs per set which is 2nd in the GSAC currently. Amey Rainaud-Hinds seems to be settling in the NAIA leaderboards!
Amey not only digs well, she is an amazing setter. Against Fresno Pacific she totaled 6 assists. In the 11 match preseason, Rainaud has been able to assist 48 kills for the Oaks. Amey has proven to be a utility player for Menlo and she continues to show up for the Oaks!
Marinelli and MacKenzie Brought Their Tool Boxes Today!
Menlo brought Haynes-Prim Pavilion to life tonight in their 3-1 victory. In the first set, the Oaks had two different 4-point runs. Maya Saole-Sue smashed a kill and then earned a block assist on back-to-back plays keeping Menlo in control. A Giulia Marinelli kill landed the win 25-20. A 6-point run, thanks to back-to-back Shawna Thompson block assists, led to another Oaks set win, 25-18. The third set went to the Sunbirds, which clearly lit a fire under both teams to win this next set. Menlo came from behind, 22-24, in a full-out effort to end this match. Katharine Mumm and Giulia Marinelli had a pair of kills in the end to wrap up, 29-27, completing the Oaks preseason with a win at home.
Giulia Marinelli was the statistics leader for Menlo this match with 11 kills, an assist, 5 block assists and 8 digs. Most of Marinelli's kills tonight were perfect tool plays off of the Sunbird blockers to earn the point. In similar fashion, Gabriella MacKenzie also used her utility belt to pull off some amazing tools. MacKenzie totaled 12 kills, hitting a .364%, an assist, a block, and a dig. Amey Rainau-Hinds led in digs with 19 and Julia Tena also battled hard tonight, earning 14 digs and added 2 assists. Paige Harmann set 17 kills partnered with Beatrice Manzon with 14 assists, who also earned 5 aces! Many Oaks put on a great performance tonight and made it enjoyable to watch for the Menlo community!
Up Next…
After 11 matches in just 2 weeks, Menlo earned a week and a half to heal and recover. This reset will prepare them for the first GSAC face off of the season on September 8, 2023 at 7pm against the Arizona Christian Firestorm. This match will take place in Menlo's very own Haynes-Prim Pavilion. Be sure to add this match to your calendar!
