Emily Hartong is done beating up on Big West volleyball opponents this season. On Tuesday, the conference named the University of Hawaii junior its Player of the Year.

UH also had junior setter Mita Uiato, sophomore hitter Jane Croson and freshman middle Jade Vorster named to the 16-person all-conference team. No Wahine was among the 10 honorable-mention selections, but ‘Iolani graduate Mahina Haina, a junior at Cal State Northridge, is included. Vorster is on the All-Freshman team.

Dave Shoji, who could become his sport’s winningest coach in his 38th season, is co-Coach of the Year with Long Beach State’s Brian Gimmillaro. The 49ers won their last seven to claim second place — five matches behind the eighth-ranked Rainbow Wahine.

"He’s got 1,100 wins and that must mean he’s a good coach," Wahine sophomore Kalei Adolpho said of Shoji. "The things he’s dealt with as a coach — this Jane situation, the everyday things you deal with — he handles them well, I feel. It seems like he’s seen every single situation before."

Shoji pulled libero Ali Longo aside after practice to tell her he felt "she is the best libero in the conference."

"The stats don’t bear that out and coaches go a lot on stats," Shoji said. "She’s far down the list, but I told her how valuable she was to our team. I didn’t want her to feel bad. I am just so comfortable with her out there."

Statistics clearly helped Hartong, Vorster and Croson, while Uiato is setting 26-2 Hawaii to a .274 hitting percentage heading into its NCAA tournament first-round match Friday against Santa Clara. That is 15th nationally and 46 points better than any other Big West team.

Hartong, UH’s 18th consecutive league player of the year, was a second-team All-American last season in the middle. Her transition to the outside — she plays left and right — has been remarkable. She ranks 11th nationally in kills (4.57 per set), is hitting .283 and has become one of the team’s best ballhandlers. She was national player of the week after a 33-kill performance at Long Beach and captured four Big West weekly honors.

No one else came close.

"She is the most physical player in the conference hands down," Shoji said. "She’s not a natural left-side player yet; she’s still learning how to play the position. But she’s got so much velocity on her attack that she just overpowers people.

"Whenever we needed a big point she was usually the one. Her production kept getting better and better as the year went on."

Adolpho, a sophomore from Molokai, took it all in from the floor. She sensed Hartong’s relentless work ethic and Uiato’s soothing presence, while seeing their exceptional athleticism.

She watched Vorster "take everything the coaches say to heart …with such great focus and determination to do what they are saying," while becoming a force offensively and defensively. The redshirt freshman is hitting a Big West-best .384 (18th nationally) and also leads UH in blocks.

Adolpho also knew Croson’s talent — she is fifth in the conference in kills — made her deserving of an all-conference honor, but wondered what impact a seven-match suspension for undisclosed reasons would have.

"It would have been unfair to leave her off almost because she is such a good player," Adolpho said. "That whole thing that happened, the main thing is she came back and put it all behind her and put it behind the team and it made her a better person. That shows great character. She can overcome adversity and be here for the team at the end."

Hartong was Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2010 and on the WAC first team last year. Uiato was also first team in Hawaii’s final season in the WAC and Croson second. Vorster is the Wahine’s first freshman first-team selection since Kanani Danielson in 2008.

Adolpho knows precisely what she needs to do to follow in her teammates’ footsteps: "Take what I’ve seen from all these players and try to apply it," she said. "Work hard like Emily and be determined and not give up like Jade. Be calm and relaxed like Mita and get through hard times like Jane."