A California high school quarterback is set to join the University of Hawaii football team.
Karson Greeley of Vista Murrieta High told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he looks forward to maintaining the family ties in Manoa. His twin brother, Kade Geeeley, is a tight end who signed with the Rainbow Warriors in February. His sister, Kalei Greeley, is an outside hitter for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.
“It honestly sounds like a great fit,” Karson Greeley said. “I’ve got family out there. I’ve got a little bit of Hawaiian in my blood. My sister’s out there. It feels like home. I’m leaving home but I’ll be home, too.”
Greeley is 6 feet 5 inches tall and 220 pounds. He and his twin brother attended Martin Luther King High School in Riverside before transferring as sophomores to Vista Murrieta. He has played in pro-set, spread, read-option and run-and-shoot offenses, taking snaps in the shotgun and from under center.
The Warriors exited spring training with five quarterbacks: Dru Brown, Cole Brownholtz, Cole McDonald, Kyle Gallup and Hunter Hughes. Brown, who will represent UH at the Mountain West Conference media day in Las Vegas in July, is regarded as the No. 1 quarterback. Brown was 6-4 as a starter last year, including a 52-35 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Hawaii Bowl.
Melounova springs upset
University of Hawaii freshman Petra Melounova advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Singles Championship with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Texas A&M senior Rachel Pierson on Wednesday in Athens, Ga.
Melounova, the second UH player to qualify for the event, became the first Rainbow Wahine to win a match in the NCAA tournament and will face LSU’s Joana Valle Costa on Thursday at 3 a.m. Hawaii time in the second round at Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
“It means a lot to be the first player from UH to get to the second round, but it’s not like the tournament is over,” Melounova said. “I have an early match tomorrow so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
Melounova, the lone Big West representative in the draw and ranked 70th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, endured three weather delays on her way to the upset of Pierson, ranked 16th and a 9-16 seed in the 64-player bracket. Valle Costa is ranked 46th.
Melounova opened the match with a break of Pierson’s serve, aided by consecutive double faults. Lightning in the area forced a 54-minute delay and Pierson earned the break back to tie the set at 4-4. The players traded breaks over the next four games to force a tiebreaker.
Melounova led 5-3 before another eight-minute rain stoppage. She earned double-set point with a cross-court forehand and wrapped up the set two points later.
“I was very aggressive at the beginning of the tiebreak and I was leading 5-2 and I slipped,” Melounova said. “It was kind of unusual because it was a tiebreak and every point maters, we had to stop playing. It was really slippery.”
Melounova raced out with two service breaks to take a 4-0 lead in the second set. Pierson recovered to get both back to close to 4-3. But Melounova answered with a break and held serve to advance.
Rainbow Wahine slate released
The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team will open the first season of the post-Dave Shoji era on Aug. 25 against Marquette.
UH will also face San Diego and UCLA in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, which will feature the debut of head coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos. All three opening-weekend opponents played in the NCAA tournament last season.
Hawaii, which released its 2017 schedule today, finished the 2016 season 23-6 and lost to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAAs.
Other teams coming off NCAA berths who are on the Wahine schedule are BYU, Utah and Baylor.
Western Carolina, South Dakota, Nevada and Northern Arizona round out Hawaii’s nonconference opponents.
The Wahine open Big West play on Sept. 22, hosting UC Irvin.
