Hawaii’s Amber Igiede named Big West Player of the Year
STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii Rainbow Wahine middle blocker Amber Igiede during the first set of a game against the UC San Diego Titans at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, Saturday, Oct. 8.
Hawaii middle blocker Amber Igiede was named the Big West women’s volleyball player of the year today as the Rainbow Wahine claimed four of the conference’s five major awards.
Robyn Ah Mow was voted the conference’s coach of the year for the third straight season. Outside hitter Caylen Alexander won the freshman of the year award and sophomore Kate Lang earned the inaugural setter of the year honor.
Igiede made the All-Big West first team for the third time and was joined by Lang and junior outside hitter Riley Wagoner.
Alexander was selected to the second team and also made the All-freshman team.
Igiede led the conference with 4.90 points per set and UH claimed the Big West player of the year award for the seventh time in 10 seasons since re-joining the conference in 2012 and for the third consecutive year, following Norene Iosia in 2019 and Brooke Van Sickle a year ago.
Igiede averages 3.79 kills per set and ranks fourth nationally in hitting percentage at .439. She is on pace to break the UH single-season record of .417 set by Angelica Ljungqvist in 1996.
In Big West matches, Igiede’s hitting percentage rose to .450 with 3.97 kills per set.
Alexander won the Big West freshman of the week award six times, including a run of three in a row in October, to break the UH record of five set by Hanna Hellvig, the conference’s top freshman in 2019.
Alexander enters her first NCAA Tournament averaging 2.75 kills per set and with a team-high 33 service aces.
Lang set UH to a league-high .292 team hitting percentage in Big West matches and her 10.78 assists per set also led the conference. She posted eight double-doubles (assists and digs), including a 55-assist and 17-dig performance to go along with a career-high six kills in last week’s five-set win at UC Santa Barbara that clinched the Big West title.
Wagoner, one of four Rainbow Wahine to play in every set this season, was second on the team averaging 3.44 kills per set during conference matches.
The Rainbow Wahine (22-6) are in Stanford, Calif., this week and will face LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Maples Pavilion.
