HAWAI’I’S DANIELSON EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Hawai’i sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4. It is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Danielson and the fourth of her career.
The ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu (Kamehameha Schools) native averaged 4.00 kills on .379 hitting, 4.64 points, 1.71 digs and 0.43 service aces in a pair of wins last week. In a sweep of Louisiana Tech, Danielson recorded a career-high three service aces. She then posted a match-high 21 kills at New Mexico State to lead the Rainbow Wahine to the win, making them the only remaining undefeated team in WAC play. In pivotal third set against the Aggies with UH trailing 22-21, Danielson recorded the final four points of the set with three straight kills and a solo block to help UH win the set 25-22. The team then cruised to a 25-11 victory in the fourth and final set.
Other nominees included: Sadie Maughan of Boise State tallied a career-high 22 kills in a five-set loss to Utah State … Fresno State’s Cecilia Agraz set new career highs in every offensive category over the weekend … Sarah Conwell of Idaho nearly tallied a triple-double (24 kills, 18 digs and seven blocks) in a win over Fresno State … Kara Jones of Louisiana Tech hit .417 and averaged 2.40 kills and 1.40 blocks on the week … Nevada’s Nicole Link averaged a WAC-best 5.33 digs per set … Kayleigh Giddens of New Mexico State averaged a league-best 4.71 kills to go with 2,57 digs and 0.71 blocks per set last week …Utah State’s Chelsea Fowles averaged 10.00 assists, 1.62 digs, 1.25 kills and 0.62 blocks as the Aggies went 2-0 on the week.
ESPNU TO TELEVISE THREE WAC REGULAR-SEASON MATCHES
In addition to the championship match of the WAC Tournament, ESPNU will televise three WAC regular-season matches this year. The following WAC match-ups will be nationally televised on ESPNU:
Monday, Oct. 19 Idaho at Utah State 9 p.m. (MT)
Thursday, Oct. 22 Fresno State at New Mexico State 9 p.m. (MT)
Thursday, Oct. 29 Hawai’i at Fresno State 8:30 p.m. (PT)
HAWAI‘I REMAINS NO. 4 IN NATIONAL POLL
For the fourth straight week, Hawai’i is ranked No. 4 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll. It is the fifth time this season the Rainbow Wahine have been ranked fourth, the team’s highest ranking since the 2005 preseason poll.
IDAHO LEADS THE NATION IN BLOCKS
As a team, Idaho currently leads the nation with 3.17 blocks per set. The Vandals are one of six WAC teams ranked in the Top 50 as Hawai’i (26th, 2.59), Fresno State (35th, 2.51), New Mexico State (40th, 2.48), Utah State (42nd, 2.45) and Louisiana Tech (50th, 2.36) are also ranked.
In other statistics, the Rainbow Wahine are fourth in hitting percentage (.306), 15th in kills (14.1) and winning percentage (.867), 22nd in assists (13.04) and 40th in aces (1.69).
Four WAC players rank in the Top 50 nationally in blocks per set, led by Idaho’s Anna McKinney in fourth place with a 1.52 average. Hawai’i’s Brittany Hewitt, is 10th with a 1.48 average, followed by Debbie Pederson of Idaho in 13th place with a 1.39 average. Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke is 23rd (1.35).
Hawai’i has several players in the Top 50 in other statistical categories. Amber Kaufman is seventh in hitting percentage (.428), Aneli Cubi-Otineru ranks 11th in service aces per set (0.57) and Dani Mafua is 14th in assists per set (11.53).
SHOJI INCHING CLOSER TO 1,000 CAREER WINS
Hawai’i head coach Dave Shoji currently has 997 career victories and is primed to become just the fourth women’s volleyball coach ever and only the second Division I coach to reach 1,000 wins. At the Division I level, Shoji trails only UCLA’s Andy Banachowski (1,094) in victories. Shoji has led his team to 14 consecutive conference titles and appearances in 10 of the last 11 NCAA regionals.
HAWAI’I LEADS NATION IN ATTENDANCE
The Rainbow Wahine currently lead the nation in attendance with an average of 6,227 fans per match, ahead of Nebraska’s 5,728 average. In addition, all 13 of Hawai’i’s home matches this season rank in the Top 25 highest attended for the year, including seven of the Top 10.
New Mexico State ranks 13th nationally with a 2,029 average, while Fresno State is 39th (1,048).
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (1-14, 1-3 WAC)
The Broncos fell in five sets to Fresno State (25-16, 25-19, 17-25, 21-25, 11-15) last Thursday before falling at Utah State (25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 20-25, 13-15) on Saturday ... The Broncos were up two sets to none, falling in the final three in both matches ... In the loss to the Bulldogs, Sadie Maughan led the team with 14 kills, while Alisha King and Amanda Remy had 13 apiece ... Remy also tallied 19 digs for her second career double-double ... Maughan had a career-high 22 kills against the Aggies ... King added 20 kills, while Remy had 10 kills and 22 digs for her second consecutive double-double ... The Broncos fell at Utah Valley (20-25, 23-25, 23-25) on Monday ... Maughan led Boise State with a match-high 11 kills ... The Broncos host NM State on Thursday and play at Idaho State on Saturday.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (8-7, 1-2 WAC)
The Bulldogs defeated Boise State in five sets (16-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-11) on Thursday before falling and at Idaho (25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 16-25, 10-15) on Saturday ... Cecilia Agraz posted career highs in every statistical category over the weekend, including kills (eight), attempts (40), service aces (one), assists (one), digs (10), blocks (three) and points (9.5) ... In the loss to Idaho, Fresno State had five players reach double-digit digs ... The win over the Broncos was the eighth of the season and first WAC win for Fresno State ... The eight wins are the most by a Bulldog team since the 2004 season ... It was also the first win for the ‘Dogs over Boise State since 2007 and the first time the ‘Dogs had taken Idaho to five sets since 2006 ... The Bulldogs host Utah State on Thursday and Idaho on Saturday.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (13-2, 4-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine swept Louisiana Tech (25-11, 25-18, 25-12) on Thursday and defeated New Mexico State in four sets (25-21, 15-25, 25-22, 25-11) on Saturday to remain the only undefeated team in WAC play ... Kanani Danielson had a match-high 21 kills at New Mexico State, recording the final four points of the third set to give the Rainbow Wahine the win ... She also recorded a career-high three service aces as Hawai’i had a season-high 10 aces against Louisiana Tech ... Hawai’i has now won nine straight matches, with a 27-1 set record during that time ... The Rainbow Wahine have posted more service aces than their opponent in all 15 matches and more kills in 13 of 15 matches this season ... After playing its first two road matches of the season, Hawai’i returns home to host Nevada on Thursday and San Jose State on Friday.
IDAHO VANDALS (6-9, 2-1 WAC)
The Vandals fell in four sets (18-25, 17-25, 25-21, 22-25) to Eastern Washington on Wednesday before defeating Fresno State in five sets (22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 15-10) on Saturday ... The 1,701 fans in attendance at Idaho’s home-opening win over Fresno State were the fourth-most in Idaho history ... Sarah Conwell tallied a near triple-double with 24 kills, 18 digs and seven blocks vs. Fresno State ... The Vandals are ranked No. 1 in the nation for blocks per set with a 3.17 average ... Individually, Anna McKinney is No. 4 (1.52) and Debbie Pederson ranks No. 13 (1.39) ... McKinney currently ranks eighth on Idaho’s all-time list for career block assists with 359, while Pederson is 10th (321) ... The Vandals host Louisiana Tech on Thursday and play at Fresno State on Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (12-8, 2-2 WAC)
The Lady Techsters fell to Hawai’i (11-25, 18-25, 12-25) on Thursday before sweeping Nevada (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) on Saturday ... In the loss to Hawai’i, Louisiana Tech posted season lows in kills (26), assists (23), digs (20), blocks (3) and points (32) ... Nataliya Panova led Tech with 12 kills in the win over the Wolf Pack ... Louisiana Tech out-blocked Nevada 9-2 in the win ... The three-set win over the Wolf Pack was Louisiana Tech’s first WAC sweep since the 2004 team beat UTEP in straight sets ... The two WAC wins for the Techsters are the most since the 2003 season, when the team won four WAC matches ... Louisiana Tech has had the same or more blocks than its opponent in 14 of 20 matches this season ... The Techsters play at Idaho on Thursday and at New Mexico State on Saturday.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (5-11, 1-2 WAC)
The Wolf Pack fell to New Mexico State (22-25, 21-25, 21-25) on Thursday and at Louisiana Tech (20-25, 16-25, 21-25) on Saturday ... The Aggies dominated the match, posting more kills (51-34), assists (49-32), service aces (5-4), digs (50-40) and blocks (8-3) ... Kylie Harrington led the Pack with 11 kills and 13 digs vs. the Techsters ... Nevada’s two blocks at Louisiana Tech was a season-low ... The Wolf Pack is now 0-7 in three-set matches this season ... Harrington, who has a team-best five double-doubles on the season, ranks fifth in the WAC with 3.39 kills per set ... Harrington has led Nevada in kills in 13 of 16 matches this season ... The Wolf Pack close out a three-match WAC road trip at No. 4 Hawai’i on Thursday and host Utah State on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (8-5, 3-1 WAC)
The Aggies swept Nevada (25-22, 25-21,25-21) on Thursday and fell in four sets to Hawai’i (21-25, 25-15, 22-25, 11-25) on Saturday ... In the win over Nevada, Kayleigh Giddens posted a match-high 15 kills and just missed a double-double as she added nine digs on the night ... Giddens also had a team-high 18 kills vs. No. 4 Hawaii while she hit a team-high .333 hitting percentage, her second highest hitting percentage of the season ... The Aggies are holding their opponents to a .178 hitting percentage this season ... NM State is 5-1 in matches that go more than three sets ... The Aggies rank second in the league with 13.49 kills per set, while Giddens is second in the WAC in kills, averaging 3.52 per set ... The Aggies play at Boise State on Thursday and host Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (0-13, 0-3 WAC)
The Spartans fell in three sets at Utah State (18-25, 24-26, 14-25) last Thursday in their only match last week ... Caitlin Andrade recorded a double-double for the second-consecutive match, finishing with 31 assists and 10 digs ... Taylor Japhet tallied 14 kills in the match, tying the third highest kill total by a Spartan this season and the highest in a three-set match ... San Jose State failed to tally a service ace in the match, just the second time all season that has happened ... Andrade ranks fifth in the WAC with 7.76 assists per set ... Japhet ranks eighth with 2.74 kills, while Kristal Tsukano is eighth with 3.37 digs ... Japhet has led the team in kills in eight of 13 matches ... The Spartans play at San Jose State on Friday in their only match this week.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (10-6, 2-2 WAC)
The Aggies swept San Jose State (25-18, 26-24, 25-14) last Thursday and beat Boise State in five sets (22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 15-13) on Saturday ... Against the Spartans, Liz McArthur had a team-high nine kills, while Katie Astle had six kills and hit .667 ... McArthur had a match-high 23 kills on .413 hitting vs. the Broncos ... Emily Kortsen had 14 kills and 14 digs against Boise State for her second double-double of the season ... Setter Chelsea Fowles had a career-high nine kills and a season-high 56 assists in the come-from-behind win over the Broncos ... Libero Christine Morrill leads the WAC with 4.32 digs per set ... McArthur leads the league in points (4.37) and ranks third in kills (3.81), while Fowles is second in assists (10.05) and third in service aces (0.31) ... The Aggies play at Fresno State on Thursday and at Nevada on Saturday.
UH RECORDS PROGRAM’S 1,000TH WIN
Hawai’i’s victory over Stanford on Sept. 12 was the program’s 1,000th win since it began playing a Division I schedule in 1974. The Rainbow Wahine have won four national titles in that span and participated in 27 NCAA Tournaments.
HAWAI‘I FAVORED IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
Hawai‘i was selected in a poll by the league’s coaches to defend its crown in 2009 and take home its 14th-straight regular-season title. The Rainbow Wahine received eight of the nine first-place votes, with New Mexico State earning the other first-place vote. Hawai‘i earned 64 total points followed by NM State with 57. Utah State was picked to finish third (45), followed by Idaho in fourth (41). Nevada was picked fifth (37), while Fresno State was sixth (29), just ahead of San Jose State (28). Boise State (12) and Louisiana Tech (11) rounded out the poll.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Hawai‘i sophomore Kanani Danielson was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year. This is the fifth-straight season that a Rainbow Wahine player has earned the preseason honor with All-Americans Kanoe Kamana’o (2005, 2006) and Jamie Houston (2007, 2008) each earning the honor in back-to-back years.
Hawai‘i placed the most student-athletes on the 12-player team with five. Along with Danielson, seniors Aneli Cubi-Otineru and Amber Kaufman, junior Dani Mafua and sophomore Stephanie Ferrell earned preseason honors. Cubi-Otineru and Kaufman were all first-team all-WAC selections in 2008, while Mafua was a second-team pick and Ferrell was on the All-Freshman Team.
Nevada placed two players on the preseason team in juniors Lindsay Baldwin and Kylie Harrington, as did New Mexico State with seniors Krista Altermatt and Kelli Goodan. Utah State also had two selections in juniors Chelsea Fowles and Christine Morrill. Senior Anna McKinney of Idaho rounded out the preseason squad.
2009 WAC TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN LAS VEGAS
The 2009 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 23-25, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will include the top six teams in the regular-season standings. The championship match will be televised live on ESPNU.
All-session tickets are $45 and can be purchased over the phone (888-234-2334) or online (www.orleansarena.com/event-calendar/wac-volleyball-tournament).
Fans traveling to Las Vegas are encouraged to stay at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. Rates are $90 per night Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, and $35 per night Sunday-Wednesday, Nov. 22-25, single or double occupancy, plus room tax and Resort Fee. For reservations, please call (800) 657-3267 and request WAC Volleyball Championship Fan Block or Group Code 9WACC11.
Hawai‘i and Brigham Young are the only teams to have claimed the WAC Tournament title in the event’s 11 years. The Rainbow Wahine own the most titles with nine, including the last eight in a row.
The WAC Volleyball Tournament is a single-elimination event with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes and the champion earning the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
2009 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 23 (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed 5 p.m.
No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 24 (Semifinals)
Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed 5 p.m.
Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 Seed 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 25 (Championship)
Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
*times local and subject to change
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS
Of the 12 first-team all-WAC players in 2008, five should return for the 2009 season, including three from Hawai‘i, Aneli Cubi-Otineru, Kanani Danielson and Amber Kaufman. Krista Altermatt of New Mexico State and Lindsay Baldwin of Nevada also return from the first team. Eight of the second-team all-WAC performers return this season, including Katie Astle, Chelsea Fowles and Christine Morrill of Utah State. The other returning second-team honorees are Brianna Amian of San Jose State, Kylie Harrington of Nevada, Dani Mafua of Hawai‘i, Sadie Maughan of Boise State and Anna McKinney of Idaho.
TOP STAT LEADERS
The following are the returning statistical leaders in the WAC from the 2008 season.
In hitting efficiency, seven of the top 10 hitters are back, led by Hawai‘i’s Amber Kaufman (.380), who led the league a year ago. Teammate Stephanie Ferrell (.292), who ranked fifth last year, also returns. The remaining leaders are Idaho’s Anna McKinney (.287- sixth), Hawai‘i’s Kanani Danielson (.286 - seventh), Boise State’s Sadie Maughan (.275 - eighth), Utah State’s Katie Astle (.275 - ninth) and Hawai‘i’s Aneli Cubi-Otineru (.268 - 10th).
Four of the top 10 kill leaders are back for the 2009 season. The top returner is Fresno State’s Baylee Platt, who ranked sixth last year with 3.46 kills per set. Danielson was seventh, averaging 3.02 kps. Kylie Harrington of Nevada was eighth, averaging 2.90 kps, while Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke rounds out the returning leaders in ninth place with 2.87 kps.
Six of the top assist leaders from last season return for the 2009 campaign. Hawai‘i’s Dani Mafua is the top setter to return, finishing last season first in the WAC (11.20 aps). Chelsea Fowles of Utah State was third in assists, averaging 9.49 aps, followed by Fresno State’s Allanah Munson (9.43 - fourth). The remaining leaders are Nevada’s Sonnie Sei (8.90 - sixth) and Louisiana Tech’s Bianca Bin (7.24 - eighth).
Six of the top blockers return, led by Idaho’s McKinney, who was first with 1.42 blocks per set. Nevada’s Lindsay Baldwin was fourth, averaging 1.14 blocks per set, followed by New Mexico State’s Erin Birmingham (1.06 bps - fifth). The remaining block returners are Idaho’s Debbie Pederson (1.05 - sixth), Louisiana Tech’s KC Clayton (1.05 - seventh) and Boise State’s Maughan (1.04 - eighth).
Six of the top 10 servers return, including the top two. Hawai‘i’s Kaufman led the WAC in service aces per set, averaging 0.47, followed by teammate Cubi-Otineru (0.32 - second). Fresno State’s Kasey Van Grouw was sixth, averaging 0.27 saps, followed by Nevada’s Nicole Link (0.26 - seventh) and Lauren Kelly (0.26 - eighth). The remaining top server is Utah State’s Lori Wilson (0.26 - 10th).
Five of the dig leaders return in 2009. Utah State’s Christine Morrill is the top returner (3.79 dps - fourth), followed by Nevada’s Link (3.57 - fifth) and Boise State’s Lauren Hamm (3.49 - sixth). Rounding out the group are San Jose State’s Kristal Tsukano (3.28 - seventh) and Hawai‘i’s Danielson (2.91 - 10th).
GARUS JOINS THE WAC FAMILY
Shawn Garus was named head coach at Boise State on June 30, becoming the ninth head coach in program history. He came from UNC-Greensboro, where he was head coach for the previous four seasons. There he recorded three straight winning seasons with 20 or more victories while also leading his team to the Southern Conference finals twice. Garus also produced five all-SoCon players and 13 SoCon All-Academic honorees in his four-year tenure.
Prior to UNCG, Garus served as the top assistant at San Francisco, and also spent time as an assistant at Texas Tech in 2002, helping the Red Raiders to a 14-14 record.
His first collegiate head coaching experience came from 1998-2002 at UC-Colorado Springs. During his time there, he led his team to its best school record of 22-9 in 2001 and first ever postseason appearance, as well as a regional ranking of No. 6.
REGIONAL, SEMIFINAL/CHAMPIONSHIP SITES SELECTED
The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced the following sites for regional and semifinal/championship competition of the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.
Regionals (4): Dec. 11-12, 2009
Host: University of Florida
Stephen C. O’Connell Center
Gainesville, Fla.
Host: University of Minnesota
Sports Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
Host: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Qwest Center
Omaha, Neb.
Host: Stanford University
Maples Pavilion
Stanford, Calif.
Semifinals and Championship: Dec. 17 and 19, 2009
Co-Hosts: University of South Florida/Tampa Bay Sports Commission
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa Bay, Fla.