University of Hawaii Wahine volleyball players Williams, Igiede earn BWS honors, Iosia is UH’s MVP

STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii setter Norene Iosia danced for family, friends and fans after a match against Long Beach State on Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Hawaii setter Norene Iosia danced for family, friends and fans after a match against Long Beach State on Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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It was good news, better news and a bit of a surprise for the Hawaii volleyball team on Monday.

The better news was the Rainbow Wahine moving up to 11 in the Rating Percentage Index, the computer-generated system used in part by the NCAA to seed and award hosting duties for its postseason tournament. Teams rated 1 through 16 traditionally have hosted the first and second rounds, something Hawaii has not done since 2013.

The Wahine (24-3, 14-2 Big West), who remained at No. 18 Monday in the national coaches poll, will learn their fate during Sunday’s selection show (2:30 p.m. on ESPNU). The Hawaii athletic department has put in a host bid with matches likely being on Dec. 6 and 7 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Also Monday, it was a mix of good and surprising news when it came to the Big West weekly awards. Wahine junior middle Sky Williams and freshman middle Amber Igiede earned honors, but not senior setter-hitter Norene Iosia.

The 6-foot-1 Williams had a combined 10 blocks and 12 kills in Hawaii’s two title-clinching sweeps of Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State en route to being named Defensive Player of the Week. It was the second honor of the season for the Bellflower, Calif., native.

The 6-3 Igiede was named Freshman of the Week, the first honor of her career. The Baton Rouge, La., native had a combined 13 kills, hitting .500, with six blocks and an ace.

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 as the Wahine ran their winning streak to 11.

Iosia’s impressive overall performance was overlooked by the conference in favor of Cal Poly junior hitter Maia Dvoracek, who was named Player of the Week for the fifth time this season. Dvoracek had a combined 38 kills and hit .338, with 15 digs and six aces against UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

The 5-11 Iosia, who was nominated for the award, had a combined nine kills without error, hitting .500, with 41 assists, six blocks and 15 digs. The Torrance, Calif., native also had eight aces, including seven against the Beach in a match that clinched the Wahine’s first Big West title since 2016.

The Big West will announce its all-conference awards today.

Iosia was not overlooked during Sunday’s team awards banquet at the Hale Koa. Her double duty resulted in double the awards, as she was named Best Defensive Player and, for the second consecutive season, Most Valuable Player.

Other awards went to Igiede (Best Blocker), freshman hitter Hanna Hellvig (Best Offensive Player) and senior hitter Kirsten Sibley (Most Inspirational).

In Monday’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25, Baylor (23-1) returned to the top spot after last week’s upset of then-No. 1 Texas. The Bears, who also have the top RPI, received 30 first-place votes in leaping over Pitt (28-1); the Panthers received 20 votes when staying at No 2.

Defending national champion Stanford (22-4, 11 votes) moved a spot to No. 3, Texas (20-3, two votes) dropped to No. 4 and Wisconsin (21-5, one vote) held at No. 5.

Hawaii lost to Baylor but has wins over three other ranked teams: No. 9 Washington (23-5), No. 20 San Diego (23-5) and No. 23 UCLA (16-11). The Wahine also have a victory over Missouri (19-7). The Tigers with 35 points are outside the Top 25 at 29th.