Rainbow Wahine volleyball racks up awards
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii’s Norene Iosia, in white, and Rika Okino reacted after Iosia won the fifth set with a service ace against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Nov. 1. Iosia was named Player of the Year today.
No. 18 Hawaii added to its championship season by sweeping the Big West’s all-conference volleyball awards today.
Senior setter-hitter Norene Iosia was named Player of the Year, hitter Hanna Hellvig Freshman of the Year and Robyn Ah Mow co-Coach of the Year.
Ah Mow, in her third season, shared the honor with Ashley Preston of Cal State Fullerton. It is the seventh Big West coaching honor for the Rainbow Wahine program and first since Dave Shoji was named in 2016. Shoji earned the top honor six times in the Big West and three times in the Western Athletic Conference.
Iosia is the 10th Wahine to earn the top award and first since Nikki Taylor won back-to-back in 2015-16. She is the third setter in 21 years to be named POY.
Hellvig is Hawaii’s fourth Big West FOY and first since Taylor in 2013. Hellvig and middle Igiede also were named to the seven member all-freshman team.
Iosia also is the second Wahine to be named to the first team four consecutive seasons, the other being Taylor. Joining Iosia on the first team are junior middle Sky Williams, Igiede and Hellvig. Senior hitter McKenna Ross and junior hitter Brooke Van Sickle were honorable mention selections.
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