Hawaii will leave Western Athletic Conference volleyball just the way it arrived — with the Rainbow Wahine dominating the postseason honor roll.

Senior All-American Kanani Danielson is the third player in WAC history to earn WAC Player of the Year honors three times. She is joined by teammates Chanteal Satele, Emily Hartong, Mita Uiato and Brittany Hewitt on the All-WAC first team, while Jane Croson earned a place on the second and all-freshman teams.

The awards were announced Sunday at the annual banquet.

The Wahine’s final WAC tournament starts today at the Orleans Arena. As the top seed, sixth-ranked Hawaii (26-1) has a bye and meets the winner of Utah State and Fresno State on Tuesday.

Danielson’s honor gives Hawaii 16 players of the year in its 16-year WAC history. Former Wahine All-Americans Kanoe Kamana‘o and Kim Willoughby are the only other players to win the award three times.

Danielson is just the fourth four-time first-team All-WAC honoree, after Kamana‘o and Lily Kahumoku of Hawaii, and Rice’s Rebeca Pazo.

In her final year, Danielson has a WAC-best 15 double-doubles. The Kamehameha graduate ranks in the top 50 nationally in kills and points and also leads Hawaii in digs, along with anchoring the passing.

"I don’t want to leave any great Hawaii players out, but in the years we’ve been in the conference she’s the most dynamic of all the players," NMSU coach Michael Jordan said.

"We’re trying to serve her and she’s passing really well. She steps up to the plate. She knows we’re coming at her and she rises to the challenge. … I can’t wait for cloning."

Danielson became the seventh Wahine with 1,000 career kills and digs this year. She ranks fifth in kills (1,647) and seventh in digs (1,135).

That versatility and her brilliance on every inch of the court leads UH coach Dave Shoji to say Danielson’s reputation will be enhanced next year, when the team realizes just how much is missing. His assistant, Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, marvels at how effortless Danielson makes it all look.

"Her leadership role as well as her passing, defense and hitting. Pretty much everything," Ah Mow says. "Kanani is such an all-around player, it will definitely be hard to replace her."

Satele came home last year after two all-conference seasons at Saint Mary’s. She earned second-team honors in the WAC last season and moved up this year in large part by kicking her hitting percentage up 80 points (to .358).

Hartong, the 2010 WAC Freshman of the Year, also moved up to first team with a versatile performance that saw her start at three positions (middle, right and left). She ranks 20th nationally with a hitting percentage of .386.

Uiato broke through in her first season as Hawaii’s starting setter and ranks 29th nationally in assists (11.05).

Hewitt was a first-team pick last year and second as a freshman. She led the country in blocking last season and is 13th now (1.43). Hewitt moved to ninth on the UH career block list last week and could be seventh by the end of this week.

It was the fourth time since the WAC went to 12-person all-conference teams in 2001 that Hawaii placed at least five on the first team. There were six Wahine — five seniors and Kamana‘o — on the 2003 first team.

Still, Shoji was not completely happy.

"Croson should have been on the first team," he said. "Every time she serves, every team gets nervous. Besides Kanani, I would say she was right up there with every statistic you have as an outside hitter."

Note

OC Sports will broadcast both of Tuesday’s semifinals live. Second-seeded Idaho plays the winner of tonight’s New Mexico State-San Jose State match at 3 p.m. Hawaii time, while the Rainbow Wahine take on Utah State or Fresno State at 5:30 p.m.

The Wednesday championship will be shown live on ESPNU at 4 p.m.