HAWAI‘I ADVANCES TO SWEET 16 OF NCAA TOURNAMENT
Hawai‘i, the 12th overall seed in the tournament, swept past New Mexico (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday and defeated USC in four sets (25-18, 25-20, 16-25, 27-25) in the second round on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. The Rainbow Wahine will face fifth-seeded Illinois (26-5) at 5 p.m. (PT) Friday, Dec. 11, at Maples Pavilion, on the campus of Stanford. In the other match, 13th-seeded Michigan (26-9) takes on No. 4-seed Stanford (23-7).
In the win over the Lobos, Kanani Danielson paced UH with 17 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Stephanie Ferrell added 11 kills on .421 hitting. Dani Mafua dished out 39 assists to go with five digs, while Elizabeth Ka’aihue posted a match-high 15 digs.
Against the Trojans, Danielson led all players with 23 kills to go with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Aneli Cubi-Otineru added 14 kills and 12 digs, while Amber Kaufman tallied 12 kills. Brittany Hewitt posted seven blocks in the match.
UH is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 17th in a row. Hawai’i has advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 11 of the last 12 tournaments.
HAWAI’I CLAIMS 10TH-STRAIGHT WAC TOURNAMENT TITLE
Top-seeded Hawai’i swept No. 6-seed Boise State in the quarterfinals and No. 2-seed New Mexico State in the championship match to claim its 10th-straight WAC Tournament title last week at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. WAC Player of the Year Kanani Danielson took tournament MVP honors after averaging 4.33 kills on .310 hitting, 2.33 digs, 0.83 assists, 0.67 blocks and 0.33 service aces over the two matches. Joining Danielson on the all-tournament team were teammates Aneli Cubi-Otineru and Dani Mafua, New Mexico State’s Kelsey Brennan, Jennah DeVries, Kayleigh Giddens and Whitney Woods, and Boise State’s Breann Nesselhuf.
2009 ALL-WAC TEAM
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 and all nine overall. 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 per set. 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.
HAWAI’I CLAIMS 14TH-STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
Hawai’i claimed its 14th straight WAC regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 record in WAC matches. It was the 10th time the Rainbow Wahine have completed WAC play without a loss and their 12th overall unbeaten season in conference play (the team did it as a member of the Big West Conference in 1988 and 1995).
THREE WAC PLAYERS EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
Three WAC volleyball players – Erin Birmingham of New Mexico State, Kanani Danielson of Hawai’i and Shantell Durrant of Utah State – earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). All three were named to the second team in their respective districts. Birmingham, a senior middle hitter from Riverside, Mo., has a cumulative 3.88 grade-point average in exercise science. Danielson, a sophomore outside hitter from ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu, has a cumulative GPA of 3.51. Durrant, a junior middle blocker from American Fork, Utah, has a cumulative 3.83 GPA in psychology. In order to be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) at her current institution and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
HAWAI‘I AT NO. 3 IN NATIONAL POLL
Hawai’i has been ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll since Oct. 12. It is the highest ranking for the Rainbow Wahine since Dec. 6, 2004, when Hawai’i was No. 2. The Rainbow Wahine currently come in at 22nd in the RPI.
IDAHO RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY IN BLOCKING
As a team, Idaho currently ranks second in the nation with 3.23 blocks per set. The Vandals are one of three WAC teams ranked in the Top 50 as New Mexico State (21st, 2.66) and Hawai’i (42nd, 2.46) are also ranked.
In other statistics, the Rainbow Wahine are third in hitting percentage (.316) and in winning percentage (.938), 11th in kills (14.61), 12th in assists (13.58) and 16th in service aces (1.73). Meanwhile, New Mexico State is 34th in kills (13.89) and 47th in assists (12.70).
Four WAC players rank in the Top 50 nationally in blocks per set, led by Idaho’s Anna McKinney in sixth place with a 1.50 average, followed by teammate Debbie Pederson in 11th with 1.46 per set. Hawai’i’s Brittany Hewitt is 19th with a 1.36 average, followed by Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke in 26th with a 1.30 average.
Several other players rank in the Top 50 in other statistical categories. Hawai’i’s Amber Kaufman is fourth in hitting percentage (.434). Rainbow Wahine teammate Aneli Cubi-Otineru ranks 11th in service aces per set (0.50), while Dani Mafua is 11th in assists per set (11.78). Kanani Danielson is 33rd in kills (4.23) and 35th in points (4.72). Meanwhile, New Mexico State’s Kayleigh Giddens is 48th in kills per set (4.00) and Idaho’s Sarah Conwell is 49th in points (4.56).
HAWAI’I LEADS NATION IN ATTENDANCE
The Rainbow Wahine lead the nation in attendance with an average of 6,423 fans per match, well ahead of Nebraska’s 4,710 average. In addition, all 20 of Hawai’i’s home matches this season rank in the Top 40 highest attended for the year, including 11 in the Top 20 and four of the Top 10. Meanwhile, New Mexico State ranks 18th nationally (1,919), Fresno State is 22nd with a 1,787 average and Utah State is 52nd (876).
SHOJI EARNS 1,000TH CAREER VICTORY
Hawai’i head coach Dave Shoji became just the fourth women’s volleyball coach ever and only the second Division I coach to reach 1,000 wins when his team defeated New Mexico State in four sets on Oct. 17. At the Division I level, Shoji trails only UCLA’s Andy Banachowski (1,106) in victories. Shoji has led his team to 15 consecutive conference titles.
TOP STAT LEADERS
In overall team stats, Hawai‘i leads the conference in hitting percentage (.316), opponent hitting percentage (.142), assists (13.58), kills (14.61) and service aces (1.73). Idaho is tops in blocks per set (3.23) and digs per set (14.93).
In conference only statistics, Hawai‘i led the WAC in hitting percentage (.347), opponent hitting percentage (.106), assists (13.54), kills (14.75) and service aces (1.75). Idaho was tops in blocks (3.43) and digs (15.80).
Individually, Hawai’i’s Kanani Danielson leads the league in kills (4.23) and points (4.72) per set. Teammates Amber Kaufman, Dani Mafua and Aneli Cubi-Otineru are tops in hitting percentage (.434), assists (11.78) and service aces (0.50), respectively. Idaho’s Anna McKinney leads the WAC in blocks per set (1.50), while Christine Morrill of Utah State is tops in digs per set (4.62).
In conference matches only, Hawai‘i’s Kaufman, Mafua and Cubi-Otineru were tops in hitting percentage (472), assists (11.76) and service aces (0.52), respectively. Morrill led the conference in digs (4.93), while Kayleigh Giddens of New Mexico State led the WAC in kills (4.47). Idaho’s Debbie Pederson and Sarah Conwell led the WAC in blocking (1.63) and points (5.07), respectively.
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 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 and 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.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (30-2, 16-0 WAC)
No. 12-seed Hawai‘i swept past New Mexico (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and defeated USC (25-18, 25-20, 16-25, 27-25) in the second round last Saturday ... In the win over the Lobos, Kanani Danielson had 17 kills, eight digs and three blocks ... Stephanie Ferrell added 11 kills on .421 hitting ... Dani Mafua dished out 39 assists to go with five digs, while Elizabeth Ka’aihue posted a match-high 15 digs ... Against the Trojans, Danielson led all players with 23 kills to go with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season ... Aneli Cubi-Otineru added 14 kills and 12 digs, while Amber Kaufman tallied 12 kills ... UH is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 17th in a row ... Hawai’i has advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 11 of the last 12 tournaments ... The Rainbow Wahine will face fifth-seeded Illinois (26-5) on Friday.