As a player, Robyn Ah Mow’s decorated career included three Olympics, international professional awards and two All-America selections as Hawaii’s setter.
On Tuesday, the recognition for Ah Mow as a coach continued with her second honor in three weeks. The Big West Co-Coach of the Year was named Pacific North Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, making her eligible for the national award, which will be announced next week.
Joining her third-year coach on the all-region list was senior setter-hitter Norene Iosia, the Big West Player of the Year and one of 14 on the first team. Rainbow Wahine freshmen Hanna Hellvig and Amber Igiede were among the six honorable mentions.
Hawaii had no selections last season, a first in the 37-year history of the national awards. Emily Maglio was a first-team honoree as a senior in 2017.
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Retired Wahine coach Dave Shoji earned 11 regional awards, the last in 2012.
Hawaii is 26-3 — the most wins since 2015 — and left Tuesday for its NCAA tournament third-round match in Madison, Wis. The 12th-seeded Wahine play No. 5 Nebraska on Friday.
“After we won Saturday, (Ah Mow) told us she continues to learn as well,” Igiede said before Monday’s practice. “She has so many accolades, but for her to say that shows how humble she is.”
Hawaii won the Big West title for the first time since 2016, the first under Ah Mow, finishing 14-2.
Hellvig was the Big West Freshman of the Year. She and Igiede also were named first-team all-conference, along with Iosia, and made the conference all-freshman team.
Iosia leads the Wahine in assists (626), digs (318) and aces (48) with 19 double-doubles. On the program’s career lists, she is No. 2 in aces (139), No. 8 in digs (1,162) and No. 9 in assists (3,129).
Hellvig leads Hawaii in kills (342) and Igiede leads in blocks (125) and is second in kills (211).
It is the 79th time a Wahine has earned all-region honors. They now have seven honorable mentions.
Hawaii is in the same region as the Pac-12 North, West Coast North and Mountain West North teams. Pac-12 champion Stanford dominated the all-region picks with four first-team selections, and runner-up Washington had two, as did Colorado State.
The Big West also had Cal Poly junior opposite Maia Dvoracek on the Pacific North first team and UC Santa Barbara senior hitter Lindsey Ruddins on the Pacific South first team for a third consecutive year.
Four players with Hawaii ties also were honored. Freshman setter Lexis Akeo (Kamehameha) from Pitt was first-team East Coast and sophomore setter Jhenna Gabriel (Maryknoll) from Texas made the Southwest first team. Utah sophomore setter Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (‘Iolani) was first-team Pacific South and Winthrop senior setter Siani Yamaguchi (Kalaheo) was honorable mention in the South.
First-team selections are eligible for All-America and regional coaches are considered for national Coach of the Year. Honorable mentions can be considered for honorable mention All-America.
