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HONOLULU – The No. 6 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team closed out its second week of practices with Saturday's annual Green vs. White Scrimmage. The Rainbow Wahine now head into game week, opening up the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational (August 26-28) on Friday against No. 4 Wisconsin. We continue to take a deeper look at the 2016 Rainbow Wahine in the second of a four-part position breakdown. Today, we review the bigs up front—the middle hitters.  
Not blessed with the same depth as the setters, the middle blockers make up for numbers with national-level talent. The unit is replacing a major offensive force in All-American Olivia McGill, who accounted for 281 kills and a team-leading 153 blocks. Taking the reins and coming off a first-team all-Big West selection last year is junior Emily Maglio, who is the top returner in blocking for a UH team that was tied for second nationally with 3.06 blocks per set.
 
"Emily is something special," associate head coach Jeff Hall said. "When you play middle, you don't get to play the whole game. She's the type of athlete and the type of player that probably could play the whole game; she could be an outside hitter, she could be an opposite, I have no doubt. She's one of our more physical players in the backcourt when she attacks. She is just an absolute kind of blue-collar kid, she gets in there and works her butt off and doesn't complain one bit."
 
Hailing from Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada and standing at 6-3, Maglio started in 29-of-30 matches a year ago, ranking second in the Big West and 34th in the NCAA with a .384 hitting percentage, amounting to 184 kills. She ranked third in the conference with a 1.13 blocks per set average and was third on the team with 105 total blocks.
 
Hall attributes across-the-board growth in Maglio's game and versatility to her time on the sand with beach volleyball. Last season, playing in the No. 1 pair, Maglio was instrumental in UH's inaugural Big West title and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. In Saturday's intrasquad, Maglio led all players with 21 kills and 16 blocks.
 
Returning for her senior year, Friendswood, Texas' Annie Mitchem may have a wait some time, but will be a huge factor for the Rainbow Wahine when she is ready to return. Mitchem was injured in preseason practices, but is projected to move into the rotation at middle. Before an injury last year, the 6-3 Texan appeared in 18 matches and registered 51 kills and 33 blocks coming off the bench. She came to UH as an AVCA JC All-American and two-time Two-Year College National Player of the Year at Irvine Valley College.
 
"She is probably the most physical player in the gym—she is touching the highest number, she is just super, super athletic and strong," Hall said of Mitchem. "She's definitely an All-American type player. She's of that caliber and she's had some unfortunate injuries."
 
Another big out of Canada, Natasha Burns redshirted last season as a freshman. She is expected to join the rotation this year up front. Coming out of Hamilton, Ontario, Burns, she is the tallest player for the Wahine, standing at 6-5. Burns knocked down 16 kills with 11 blocks in the scrimmage on Saturday.

"She comes in and is a physical presence at the net," Hall noted "She's definitely going to help us and it kind of keeps us in that mold of being really physical."
 
Rounding out the group is an outside hitter, 6-3 sophomore Casey Castillo, who has slid over to help in the middle after Mitchem's injury. Castillo finished a limited rookie campaign last year with four kills, four blocks, two digs and a service ace across 19 matches.
 
"Selfless and a great teammate. She's relearning the position," Hall said. "We've groomed her mostly as a pin hitter, but she did play middle in some junior levels and club, so she knows how to play that position and has got some nice size."
 
While the offense can run through the middle for the Rainbow Wahine, the bigs will be an integral key for coach Dave Shoji's squad if UH hopes to replicate last year's success, which landed the Rainbow Wahine in the NCAA Regional Final.

"They are some of the hardest workers on the team and maybe they get the least amount of credit sometimes," Hall said.
 
The Rainbow Wahine open their season with the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational (August 26-28) against No. 4 Wisconsin at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7:00 p.m.