LAS VEGAS – The Western Athletic Conference 2009 volleyball postseason award winners, as selected by the league’s head coaches, were announced tonight at the WAC Volleyball Tournament banquet. For the 14th-straight year, Hawai‘i boasts the WAC Player of the Year, as sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson earned the honors in 2009. Teammate Brittany Hewitt captured Freshman of the Year honors, while head coach Dave Shoji was named WAC Coach of the Year.
Four different schools were represented on the first team. Hawai’i, the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament, had four players named to the first team and three to the second team. Second-seeded New Mexico State had four players on the first team and one on the second team, while Idaho had three first-team selections. Nevada had one player on the first team.
For the 14th-straight year, Hawai‘i boasts the WAC Player of the Year. Danielson has ranked in the Top 50 nationally in kills per set all season, averaging 4.11. A sophomore, she was named WAC Player of the Week five times this season. She is a two-time first-team all-WAC honoree.
Hewitt earned Freshman of the Year honors, the seventh Rainbow Wahine player to do so. She ranked second in the conference with a .397 hitting percentage in WAC matches and currently ranks 29th nationally in the category. She was also honored as an All-Freshman Team selection and a second-team all-WAC pick.
Shoji led his team to its 14th-consecutive WAC regular-season title and an undefeated record in WAC play. Earlier this year, he became just the second Division I volleyball coach ever to eclipse the 1,000-win mark. This is the seventh WAC Coach of the Year honor of his career.
2009 WAC Volleyball Postseason Award Winners
| First Team |
Team |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Kelsey Brennan |
New Mexico State |
MH |
So. |
Snohomish, Wash. (Monroe) |
| Sarah Conwell |
Idaho |
OH |
Sr. |
Kent, Wash. (Kentwood) |
| Aneli Cubi-Otineru+$ |
Hawai‘i |
OH |
Sr. |
Hale‘iwa, O‘ahu (College of Southern Idaho) |
| Kanani Danielson$ |
Hawai‘i |
OH |
So. |
Ewa Beach, O‘ahu (Kamehameha Schools) |
| Jennah DeVries |
New Mexico State |
S |
So. |
Denver, Colo. (Douglas County) |
| Kayleigh Giddens |
New Mexico State |
OH |
Jr. |
Lubbock, Texas (Frank Phillips College) |
| Kylie Harrington$$ |
Nevada |
OH |
Jr. |
Honolulu, Hawai‘i (Saint Francis) |
| Amber Kaufman$ |
Hawai‘i |
M |
Jr. |
San Jose, Calif. (Branham) |
| Dani Mafua$$ |
Hawai‘i |
S |
Jr. |
Kapolei, O‘ahu (Mid-Pacific Institute) |
| Anna McKinney$$ |
Idaho |
MB |
Jr. |
Federal Way, Wash. (Holy Names Academy) |
| Debbie Pederson |
Idaho |
MB |
Sr. |
Grangeville, Idaho (Grangeville) |
| Whitney Woods |
New Mexico State |
OH |
Jr. |
Midland, Texas (Midland) |
| Second Team |
Team |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Lindsay Baldwin$ |
Nevada |
MB |
Jr. |
Hillsborough, Calif. (Notre Dame Belmont) |
| Erin Birmingham |
New Mexico State |
MH |
Sr. |
Riverside, Mo. (Georgia Tech) |
| Brianna Clarke |
Fresno State |
MB |
So. |
Fresno, Calif. (Buchanan) |
| KC Clayton |
Louisiana Tech |
MB |
Sr. |
Tucson, Ariz. (Rincon University) |
| Stephanie Ferrell |
Hawai’i |
OH |
So. |
Los Angeles, Calif. (Locke) |
| Brittany Hewitt |
Hawai’i |
M |
Fr. |
Eagle, Idaho (Eagle) |
| Elizabeth Ka’aihue |
Hawai’i |
L |
Jr. |
Kailua, O’ahu (Punahou) |
| Kelly Leonardo |
Fresno State |
MB |
Sr. |
Merced, Calif. (Golden Valley) |
| Sadie Maughan$$ |
Boise State |
MB |
Jr. |
Murray, Utah (Murray) |
| Liz McArthur |
Utah State |
OH |
So. |
St. George, Utah (Snow Canyon) |
| Breann Nesselhuf |
Boise State |
S |
So. |
Swink, Colo. (Washington State) |
| Alisha Young |
Boise State |
MB |
Jr. |
American Fork, Utah (American Fork) |
+2007 first team selection
$2008 first team selection
$$2008 second team selection
| All-Freshman |
Team |
Pos. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Alex Akana |
San Jose State |
MB |
Kailua, Hawai’i (Kamehameha) |
| Caitlin Andrade |
San Jose State |
S |
Kailua, Hawai’i (Kamehameha) |
| Marissa Brand |
Fresno State |
MB |
Cypress, Calif. (Cypress) |
| Liz Harden |
Boise State |
OH |
Lake Forest, Calif. (El Toro) |
| Brittany Hewitt |
Hawai’i |
M |
Eagle, Idaho (Eagle) |
| Elissa Ji |
Nevada |
OH |
Honolulu, Hawai’i (Maryknoll) |
WAC Player of the Year: Kanani Danielson, Hawai‘i
WAC Freshman of the Year: Brittany Hewitt, Hawai‘i
WAC Coach of the Year: Dave Shoji, Hawai’i