The San Marino High School girls’ volleyball team ran into some of the best competition the San Gabriel Valley has to offer last Thursday afternoon. The challenge entered San Marino High School’s Dingus Memorial gymnasium in the person of Stanford-recruit Taylor Yu, who stands all of six feet tall. Yu displayed consistent hitting and a solid all-around game for the Rams, leading the visitors to a 25-21, 25-22 and 25-19 sweep of th Lady Titans, dropping them to a 10-12 overall record, 1-2 in Rio Hondo League play.
But San Marino showed a lot of moxie, even in defeat. Aubrey Wendling – the team’s designated defender, successfully dug many of Yu’s powerful spikes. Mira Emaumalee, Chloe Wang and Sydney Park also played exceptional defense for San Marino while Tessa Kackstetter controlled the net.
Yu, a senior, had to sit out her entire junior year due to an injury but on Thursday proved she hasn’t missed a beat. In Temple City’s first four matches of the 2023 season, Yu recorded 123 kills, nine aces, four blocks and 45 digs. Yu suffered a torn meniscus in her right knee two weeks before the junior national tournament last summer. She was on crutches for six weeks last year and out of action for six months.
Yu is a setter for the Roshambo team of the San Gabriel Elite volleyball club. Yu called Stanford her “dream school” and is a 4.0 student. Though a solid hitter, Yu has agreed to play setter at Stanford.
Yu’s father, Nathan, is the coach at Temple City.
