DENVER ? The WAC Preseason all-WAC volleyball team was announced today as voted on by the nine coaches. Hawai?i All-American Kanoe Kamana`o was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year. The senior setter was the 2004 and 2005 WAC Player of the Year.
Hawai?i led the way placing five on the 12-player team. Along with Kamana`o, senior Sarah Mason and junior Juliana Sanders earned preseason honors. The three were first-team all-WAC selections in 2005. Also earning honors were junior Tara Hittle and sophomore Jamie Houston, who were both second-team all-WAC honorees in 2005.
New Mexico State placed four players on the preseason team, including 2005 WAC Freshman of the Year, Amber Simpson. The Aggies also had senior Jackie Choi and junior Kim Oguh named to the team. Both were first-team selections last season. Alice Borden was the final Aggie named to the preseason all-WAC squad.
Boise State senior Cameron Flunder was the Broncos’ only honoree. Rounding out the team are San Jose State junior Jennifer Senftleben and Idaho sophomore Haley Larsen. Senftleben was a first-team selection last season, while Larsen was named to the second-team all-WAC and the all-freshman.
2006 Preseason All-WAC TeamAlice Borden, Sr., New Mexico State
Jackie Choi, Sr., New Mexico State
Cameron Flunder, Sr., Boise State
Tara Hittle, Jr., Hawai?i
Jamie Houston, So., Hawai?i
Kanoe Kamana`o, Sr., Hawai?i
Haley Larsen, So., Idaho
Sarah Mason, Sr., Hawai?i
Kim Oguh, Jr., New Mexico State
Juliana Sanders, Jr., Hawai?i
Jennifer Senftleben, Jr., San Jose State
Amber Simpson, So., New Mexico State
Preseason Player of the Year: Kanoe Kamana`o, Hawai?i
DENVER ? The Western Athletic Conference 2005 postseason award winners were announced today as selected by the league’s head coaches.
Hawai?i setter Kanoe Kamana`o was named the WAC Player of the Year. This is the second-straight player of the year honor for the junior who was also an All-American last season. New Mexico State’s Amber Simpson captured Freshman of the Year honors. She was the first player not from Hawai?i to win the award since 2002. Hawai?i’s Dave Shoji and New Mexico State’s Mike Jordan were named WAC co-Coaches of the Year.
Six different schools were represented on the first team and eight overall. Hawai?i, the first seed in the WAC Tournament, had five players named to the first team and three to the second team. Second-seeded Utah State had two placed on the first team and one on the second team, while New Mexico State placed two on the first team and three on the second.
For the 10th-straight year, Hawai?i boasts the WAC Player of the Year. Kamana`o has been among the nation’s leaders in assists per game, averaging 13.72. The junior finished conference play leading the WAC in assists per game (13.70). She is a three-time first-team honoree. Kamana`o is one of four returning first-team members along with Boise State’s Cameron Flunder, Nevada’s Salaia Salave`a and Hawai?i’s Victoria Prince. Salave`a is a four-time all-WAC honoree. Flunder earned her third-straight honor, while Prince earned her second-straight award.
New Mexico State’s Amber Simpson earned Freshman of the Year honors in the Aggies’ first season in the WAC, averaging 1.35 block per ga,e and hitting .318. She was also one of six players named to the all-freshman team. Both Idaho and San Jose State placed two on the all-freshman team. Vandals Sarah Loney and Haley Larsen earned honors along with Spartans Colleen Burke and Brittany Collet.
For the first time since 2000, the WAC has co-Coaches of the Year. Hawai?i’s Dave Shoji and New Mexico State’s Mike Jordan both earned the honor. This is Shoji’s sixth Coach of the Year award, Jordan’s third-straight coach of the year honor after earning back-to-back awards in the Sun Belt Conference.
The WAC Tournament will begin Thursday, Nov. 26 in Reno, Nev. There will be five matches on Thursday with No. 8 Boise State facing No. 9 Louisiana Tech in the first match of the day. No. 3 New Mexico State will take on No. 6 San Jose State in the next match, followed by No. 2 Utah State battling No. 7 Fresno State. Last year’s finalist, Nevada, which is the No. 4 seed will take on No. 5 Idaho in the first evening match, followed by No. 1 Hawai?i taking on the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 match.
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2005 VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS
All-Conference
First Team
Zuzana Cernianska, Utah State
Jackie Choi, New Mexico State
Cameron Flunder, Boise State
Kanoe Kamana`o, Hawai?i
Sarah Mason, Hawai?i
Kim Oguh, New Mexico State
Victoria Prince, Hawai?i
Ingrid Roth, Utah State
Salaia Salave`a, Nevada
Juliana Sanders, Hawai?i
Jennifer Senftleben, San Jose State
Ashley Watanabe, Hawai?i
Second Team
Susie Boogaard, Hawai?i
Alice Borden, New Mexico State
Jordan Bostic, New Mexico State
Teal Ericson, Nevada
Erin Graybill, Utah State
Tara Hittle, Hawai?i
Jamie Houston, Hawai?i
Haley Larsen, Idaho
Alison Pitton, Fresno State
Amber Simpson, New Mexico State
Karly Sipherd, Nevada
Jessie Shull, San Jose State
All-Freshman Team
Colleen Burke, San Jose State
Brittany Collet, San Jose State
Jamie Houston, Hawai?i
Haley Larsen, Idaho
Sarah Loney, Idaho
Amber Simpson, New Mexico State
Kasie Spencer, Fresno State
WAC Player of the Year: Kanoe Kamana`o, Hawai?i
WAC Coach of the Year: Dave Shoji, Hawai?i; Mike Jordan, New Mexico State
WAC Freshman of the Year: Amber Simpson, New Mexico State
15-Year All-WAC Volleyball Teams Announced
DENVER The Western Athletic Conference today announced its 15-Year all-WAC volleyball teams as determined by a fan vote on the WACs web site wacsports.com. The first team consisted of six Hawaii players, including Kim Willoughby, Heather Bown, Lily Kahumoku, Angelica Ljunguist, Kanoe Kamana`o and Nikki Hubert.
Three-time AVCA All-American, Kim Willoughby, led all voters. Willoughby, who was also a three-time WAC Player of the Year, is the WAC career leader in total kills (2,598) and kills per game (5.92). Heather Bown was a two-time WAC Player of the Year and two-time AVCA All-America. She ended her career ranked first in the WAC in career blocks per game (1.95). Bown was a member of the 2004 Olympic team. Lily Kahumoku teamed up with Willoughby to become two of the most lethal left-side hitters in recent volleyball history. Kahumoku was a two-time All-America, and is fourth all-time in total kills. She was also named to the all-WAC first team for four years. Angelica Ljungquist earned All-American honors in 1996 and was named the WACs Stan Bates award winner in 1997. Ljungquists .417 hitting percentage in 1997 still stands as the highest single-season hitting percentage. Setter Kanoe Kamanao is the only current player on either the first or second team. Kamana`o was the AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 2003 and was the 2004 WAC Player of the Year. Nikki Hubert is the single-season leader for assists (1,782). The setter also holds the single-season assists per game record (14.61.)
The second team consists of San Jose States Joslynn Gallop, Rices Rebeca Pazo, Fresno States Tricia Tuley and BYUs Charlene Johnson, Tea Nieminen, Korie Rogers and Amy Steele-Gant. Gallop was the 1999 WAC Player of the Year who ended her career second in total kills (1,996). Johnson was named an All-America twice in her career and was sixth all-time in assists per game (12.35). Nieminen earned one of the WACs first All-America honors in 1992. The two-time WAC Player of the Year is fourth all-time in service aces per game (0.41). Pazo just completed her final season in the WAC. She ended her career as a four-time, first-team all-WAC selection. Rogers was a two-time All-American as well as being named to the all-WAC team three times. Steele-Gant ended her WAC career first in the WAC in career blocks (694). Tuley ended her WAC career first in both digs per game (3.89) and total digs (1,864).
Throughout January, fans had their opportunity to vote for their favorite volleyball players. The complete fan teams are listed below.
15-Year all-WAC Teams
First TeamHeather Bown, Hawaii, 1998-99
Nikki Hubert, Hawaii, 1996-98
Lily Kahumoku, Hawaii, 1999-00, 2002-03
Kanoe Kamana`o, Hawaii, 2003-Present
Angelica Ljungquist, Hawaii, 1993-96
Kim Willoughby, Hawaii, 2000-03
Second TeamJoslynn Gallop, San Jose State, 1997-00
Charlene Johnson, BYU, 1991-94
Tea Nieminen, BYU, 1990-92
Rebeca Pazo, Rice, 2001-04
Korie Rogers, BYU, 1996-98
Amy Steele-Gant, BYU, 1994-97
Tricia Tuley, Fresno State, 1993-96