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Guilherme Voss built on his lead on the nation’s blocking chart and added a second Big West Player of the Week award to his collection.
Coming off a career night on Saturday, the University of Hawaii middle blocker was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and third time in his career.
Voss posted a career-high 12 blocks, including four solo, in the fourth-ranked Rainbow Warriors’ four-set win over No. 12 Lewis on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
After the Warriors and Flyers split the first two sets, Voss sent back five blocks in the third set and three more in the fourth to help the Warriors complete a sweep of the two-match series. Voss was matched up with Lewis All-American Tyler Mitchem for much of the series.
“He leads the nation in blocking. He’s been good for a long time,” UH coach Charlie Wade said after the match. “That’s a tough assignment, to stop one of the best attackers in the country, and he did a really nice job.”
Voss tops the NCAA standings with 1.460 blocks per set and the Warriors continue to lead the team list with 2.985.
Voss also had 12 kills in 21 attempts with two errors to hit .476 in the series and was also named the Off the Block National Co-Middle Attacker of the Week.
Punahou graduate Ryan Wilcox, a junior outside hitter at UC Santa Barbara, was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week. Wilcox hit .638 with 33 kills against three errors in 47 attacks to help the Gauchos sweep Cal State Northridge in a home-and-home series.
Warriors remain fourth in poll
UH (16-3) held steady at No. 4 in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll released Monday. The Warriors received two first-place votes, with the total spread among five teams.
UCLA remains No. 1, followed by Penn State and Long Beach State.
UH has a bye week before a Big West series against Cal State Northridge on March 25 and 26 at SimpliFi Arena.
BeachBows earn Big West pairs honor
Hawaii’s team of Anna Maidment and Sofia Russo was named the Big West beach volleyball Pairs Team of the Week after a perfect weekend in the Outrigger Queen’s Club.
Maidment and Russo went 6-0 with five wins in straight sets while playing at the No. 3, 4 and 5 flights for the ninth-ranked BeachBows. Three of their wins came against nationally ranked opponents in No. 3 TCU and No. 10 California. The duo improved to 12-1 this season and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Pair after helping UH go 4-2 and finish third in the event.
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