Hawaii will not be adding to its lengthy women’s volleyball All-America list this season. The Rainbow Wahine, fourth nationally in number of certificates awarded (58), did not have anyone earn AVCA all-region honors on Tuesday, the last step toward All-America recognition.
It will be the first time since 1997 that Hawaii will go without an All-America award. Last season, middle Emily Maglio was named to the second team, the Wahine’s 58th certificate and 30th individual player.
Hawaii also is fourth in first-team awards with 33, trailing Stanford (54), Nebraska (45) and Penn State (42).
In 1997, Jamie Houston was an all-region pick but was not on any of the All-America teams, including honorable mention. The one and only time that the Wahine had no all-region selections was 1984.
Hawaii had four first-team All-Big West players in seniors McKenna Granato and Tita Akiu, and juniors Norene Iosia and Natasha Burns, who is graduating and giving up her senior season at UH. The four were eligible for all-region consideration.
Wahine coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, a two-time first-team All-American for Hawaii (1995-96), could not be reached for comment.
The Pacific North Division, comprised of 27 schools in five conferences, was dominated by the Pac-12. Of the 14 first-team selections, six were from Stanford, three from Oregon and one each from Washington and Washington State.
Two of the remaining awards did go to Big West champion Cal Poly in sisters Adlee and Torrey Van Winden. The other went to junior setter Katie Oleksak from Colorado State, which won the Mountain West.
Colorado State also had two players earn honorable mention, as did Oregon, which tied for second in the Pac-12, and Washington State, the Pac-12’s fourth-place team.
Shut out from regional recognition were the Big Sky and half of the West Coast Conference. The WCC, Big West, Mountain West and Pac-12 have split regions with their remaining members in the Pacific South region, along with the Western Athletic Conference.
The anomaly of the split conferences has Hawaii, the most southern school in the Big West, in the Pacific North. The split helped
UC Santa Barbara place senior hitter Lindsey Ruddins on the All-Pacific South first team.
The Pacific South was dominated by WCC champion Brigham Young (5 players among 14 on the first team). Pac-12 teams had a combined seven players chosen and San Diego of the WCC one.
UCLA (13-14), which did not make the postseason, had two region honorable mentions. The remaining awards went to the Pac-12 (Arizona and Utah) and the WCC (BYU and Loyola Marymount).
When asked why Hawaii was in the Pacific North instead of the Pacific South region, a Big West official referred the question to the AVCA. Efforts to reach someone from the American Volleyball Coaches Association for comment were unsuccessful.
The Wahine won three NCAA championships (1982, ’83 and ’87), as well as the 1979 Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title. Hawaii had nine players earn a combined 14 All-America awards between 1974 and 1980, the last year before the NCAA began overseeing women’s volleyball.
