Submitted photo – Kalifah Younge signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at CR earlier this summer.

By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods volleyball team began summer practice this week and head coach Macy Thomas is excited about the prospects of this year’s team after a big offseason on the recruiting trails.

Thomas has added a handful of local players to go with a group from out of the area and has a sizable roster of 14 going into the new season.

In addition to key returning players Quincy Collins and Bella Campbell from Arcata High School — each of whom looks set to take on a key leadership role this fall — Thomas has added Macy Secor of Eureka, Sahara Tupua of St. Bernard’s, Kalifah Younge of Aldergrove Charter School and Melody Brennan from Del Norte.

Younge gave the Redwoods women a late boost with her commitment earlier this summer and is already showing signs that she could make an impact on the college courts.

“She just loves volleyball and wants structure and development,” said Thomas, who watched Younge play in an open gym scrimmage and immediately liked a lot of what she saw from her. “We started training this week and she’s already showing growth.”

Younge will likely play as a defensive specialist for her new team and her enthusiasm and attitude has also impressed the coach.

“I was really happy she reached out to me,” Thomas said. “She’s being exposed to a lot of new concepts and taking it on and being opened minded. She’s learning a lot of new things right now and her attitude has been great.”

Brennan, meanwhile, brings a lot of experience to the local community college after playing a key role on a successful Del Norte team over the past few seasons.

And she’s another player who is quickly adapting to the college game and not shying away from the challenge.

“What I like the most about Melody is her voice,” Thomas said. “She uses it and she talks a lot and she holds people accountable in a good way, and we needed that.”

In addition to her obvious talents and experience, those intangibles will be key for a CR team that is looking to establish itself as a legitimate threat in the Golden Valley Conference.

Submitted photo

Ray Hamill/.HumboldtSports.com – Del Norte’s Melody Brennan will play for CR this fall.

Tupua also is expected to play a key role this fall after committing to CR in both track and field and volleyball.

Tupua was a multi-sport athlete at St. Bernard’s and Thomas likes her natural athleticism among other things after coaching her at SB earlier in her career.

“She’s very athletic,” the CR coach said. “She committed for track and field, and she emailed me and said that she really enjoyed playing for me at St. Bernard’s and that she really loves volleyball and wants to continue playing at CR.”

And that was good news for the local JC program.

The versatile Tupua will likely play setter for Thomas’ team, filling a big void for the local college program this fall.

“She’s very talented naturally and we’re excited to get her into our system,” Thomas added.

The CR coach is also excited about the addition of Secor, who was an all-league selection for Big 5 champs Eureka last fall.

“I like her overall power, especially on her serve,” Thomas said of Secor after her commitment in the spring. “She’s a very strong server, and in her offense she definitely has some power in her swing.

“She’ll be a great asset on our front row.”

Campbell and Collins will be back with the team this fall and both players are expected to take on key leadership roles.

Campbell, according to the coach, will most likely be a team captain after a promising start to her college career last fall.

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Sahara Tupua

Submitted photo – Macy Secor at her letter signing ceremony earlier this year.

“She’s been dialed in this past year, in the weight room, in the gym,” Thomas said of the 2024 Big 5 MVP. “She’s looking amazing and Bella is definitely taking on that leadership role.”

Collins is another player who enjoyed a stellar high school career playing for the Tigers and will be particularly eager to get back on the court after missing much of last season through injury.

“She’s looking promising this year,” Thomas said of the influential sophomore who will be 100 percent healthy again this fall. “One thing I love about her game is she’s a fierce competitor.

“I love that about her. She’s very competitive. She wants to get the job done, and she wants to be that go-to person on game point.”

The new and returning local players have also been working well with and supporting a diverse group of out-of-area players from several different states, including Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska.

All of them appear to adapting quickly to life on the North Coast and gelling with their new teammates.

“I think we have a really good mixture of girls in the gym,” Thomas said. “I’m really happy with the girls we have from out of the area. They’re taking a chance at CR and really taking to what we can offer.

“They’re fitting right in and really making Humboldt their home, and I appreciate them taking that leap of faith.”

The Redwoods women open the new season on Aug. 29.