Hawaii’s Tita Akiu notches Defensive Player of the Week hat trick
BRUCE ASATO / SEPT. 9
Hawaii libero Reyn “Tita” Akiu got a dig in the fourth set of the San Diego State vs. UH women’s volleyball match, Sept. 9, at Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawaii senior libero Tita Akiu earned the final Defensive Player of the Week honor from the Big West today, the third award this season.
The transfer from Texas Tech averaged 4.71 digs in last week’s wins over UC Irvine and UC Davis. The Kamehameha Schools graduate had 15 digs against the Anteaters and 18 against the Aggies.
Akiu finished with double-digit digs in all but one match for the Rainbow Wahine (18-8, 12-2 Big West). She is fourth in the conference with 431 digs.
On Sunday, Akiu was named the Wahine’s Best Defensive Player at the team’s year-end banquet. Other awards went to junior setter-hitter Norene Iosia (MVP), senior hitter McKenna Granato (Best Offensive Player), senior middle Natasha Burns (Best Blocker) and senior setter Faith Ma’afala (Most Inspirational).
Also today, Hawaii rose seven spots to 50 in the Rating Percentage Index. The RPI is part of the formula used by the NCAA selection committee for berths and seeds in the national tournament. The selection show is Sunday.
