Nadia Koanui proves to be a quick study at Cal State Fullerton

When Nadia Koanui left Hawaii this summer to begin her college career, she told her father, Earl, one of her goals.

“I specifically remember talking to dad and telling him that my one goal at Cal State Fullerton was to win defensive player of the week,” the Kamehameha alumna said Tuesday in a phone interview. “But I definitely was not going about it thinking I would win it after my third weekend of playing games.”

Koanui got a notification on her phone through Instagram from the Big West Conference on Monday, informing her she was this week’s Big West Defensive Player of the Week.

The 5-foot-7 libero, one of 14 Kamehameha alumnae listed on a Division I college volleyball roster on the mainland, has played every set so far this season and has double-digit assists for the Titans, who are 4-2 heading into their final weekend of nonconference matches before opening conference play at Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 23.

Koanui had a match-high 14 digs in the Titans’ home opener, a four-set victory over Gonzaga on Friday. She then exploded for a season-high 26 digs in a four-set victory over Weber State on Saturday.

Koanui, who also leads the Titans with six aces, enters the week second in the Big West averaging 4.61 digs per set.

“I came up here with the hopes of just trying to contribute to the team in any way I could,” Koanui said. “I was very shocked when I first found out I would be starting for the team. I came in with the mindset that I just wanted to contribute but also be undeniable to be on the court — meaning I wanted to work hard in practices and in workouts and make myself undeniable that I needed to play.”

She is one of 68 players total from Hawaii listed on the rosters of a mainland Division I college. Thirty-one of them are listed as defensive specialists or liberos and another 16 are setters.

Koanui was a hitter to finish her career at Kamehameha but, like many volleyball players from Hawaii, knew her possible future in college would be as a defensive specialist.

“Back in high school, as much as I enjoyed hitting, I enjoyed passing and playing defense more. I would work on offense to help my team, but when it came time for clinics and outside practices, I would work on defense because I’ve always been told I’m too short. A lot of us doing so well in Division I is because we work so hard on our defense and passing.”

Koanui has already played against Utah Tech and Gonzaga, which each have a player from Hawaii.

Part of the fun playing in the Big West Conference and on the West Coast will be seeing so many other players from Hawaii out on the court with her.

“Playing at Cal State Fullerton is good just to see all the faces from home,” Koanui said. “Seeing across the net a lot of players that we know from not just high school but from going to the same clinics and practices in Hawaii will be really fun. I think there are so many players playing because of the coaching we get in Hawaii. I’ve had detailed coaches who have helped me so much along the way and I think they hold the girls to a high standard because of how much success they have getting players to play at the next level.”

Koanui, who as a 4-year-old had to wear casts on each of her arms for roughly six months after breaking them during a three-month span, grew up a University of Hawaii volleyball fan.

Playing at the Stan Sheriff Center in college was always a dream.

“I’ve enjoyed playing sports since I was very young,” she said. “That made it kind of hard coming to another Big West school, but it’s just more motivation to go and try to beat them now. I’m very much looking forward to (playing UH.)”

The Titans host Hawaii for a match on Sept. 30 before Koanui returns home to play in Hawaii on Nov. 5.