Rainbow Wahine gain 2 Big West volleyball honors
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii’s Skyler Williams (L) and Tiffany Westerberg (R) gather around Amber Igiede (C) after Igiede scored a point during a match in September.
Two victories last week led to No. 18 Hawaii being awarded two weekly volleyball honors by the Big West today.
Junior middle Sky Williams was named Defensive Player of the Week and middle Amber Igiede Freshman of the Week after helping the Rainbow Wahine (24-3, 14-2 Big West) to their first conference title since 2016 with wins over Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State.
It was the second weekly award this season for Williams, a 6-foot-1 middle from Bellflower, Calif., who had a combined 10 blocks and 12 kills in the sweeps of the Matadors and Beach. She had six blocks and five kills against CSUN and four blocks and seven kills, hitting .500, against the Beach.
Hawaii won the block battle in last week’s matches by a combined 19-8 margin with Williams and Igiede in on 16 of the stuffs.
The 6-3 Igiede had eight kills on 14 errorless swings with an ace and four blocks against the Matadors. The Baton Rouge, La., native added five kills, hitting .400, with two blocks against Long Beach State.
Senior setter-hitter Norene Iosia was nominated for Player of the Week, that going to Cal Poly’s junior hitter Maia Dvoracek for a fifth time this season.
Earlier today, Hawaii moved up a spot to 11 in the Ratings Percentage Index, likely guaranteeing that the Wahine will be one of the top 16 seeds and host the subregional in next month’s NCAA tournament. The Wahine also remained at No. 18 in the national coaches poll.
