[ WAHINE VOLLEYBALL ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Kim Willoughby was one of six Rainbow Wahine volleyball players named to the WAC's first team yesterday.
Willoughby
player of yearThe Hawaii senior is
the eighth straight Wahine
player to earn the award
It was no surprise they dominated conference play.
It was no surprise they dominated conference honors.
The second-ranked Hawaii Rainbow Wahine volleyball team placed an unprecedented six players on the Western Athletic Conference first team announced yesterday, while the seventh starter made the second team.
A Rainbow Wahine -- Kim Willoughby -- was named the WAC Player of the Year for the eighth consecutive season and another -- Kanoe Kamana'o -- selected the league's freshman of the year, for the fourth time in the program's eight-year participation in the WAC.
WAC Volleyball Tournament
All times HSTWhere: At Reno, Nev.
Friday: No. 2 SMU (22-6, 11-2) vs. No. 7 Louisiana Tech (16-4, 4-9), 10 a.m.; No. 3 Fresno State (21-6, 10-3) vs. No. 6 San Jose State (8-17, 6-7), noon; No. 1 Hawaii (27-1, 13-0) vs. No. 8 Tulsa (11-15, 2-11), 3:30 p.m.; No. 4 Nevada (15-14, 7-6) vs. No. 5 Rice 19-9, 9-4), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: SMU-LaTech winner vs. Fresno State-San Jose State winner, 3 p.m.; Hawaii-Tulsa winner vs. Nevada-Rice winner, 5 p.m.
Sunday: Saturday's winners, 1 p.m.
Radio: Hawaii matches live, KKEA 1420-AM.
TV: Sunday's match live, Craig Wireless cable (limited service in Honolulu).
Note: Hawaii has won 87 straight WAC matches, including tournament play. The Wahine have defeated their past 169 unranked opponents.
The only disappointment?
"I was hoping that, the way Lily (Kahumoku) was playing at the end, we'd share the award, be co-players of the year," Willoughby said.
Kahumoku, however, has her own special distinction. The senior hitter is the first player to be named to the WAC's first team four times. Willoughby is the first three-time player of the year and is a three-time first-teamer.
Joining the two on the first team are Kamana'o and senior teammates Maja Gustin, Lauren Duggins and Nohea Tano. It was the third first-team selection for Gustin, the Co-WAC Freshman of the Year with Willoughby in 2000, and a repeat honor for Duggins, a second-team pick as a sophomore.
Senior libero Melissa Villaroman picked up her second consecutive second-team award, and was one of two liberos honored (San Jose State freshman Jessie Shull also made the second team).
It was the first WAC honor for the often-overlooked Tano.
"I'm really happy for Tano," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "She's come a long way and had to fight for a starting position. I'm sure that her leading the conference in hitting by almost 50 points factored into it."
Tano hit .442 to lead the WAC with Rice's Rebecca Kainz, a second-team pick, hitting .394. Hawaii hitters ranked Nos. 3 (Gustin), 4 (Willoughby), 5 (Duggins) and 7 (Kahumoku) in conference statistics as the team hit a WAC-leading .353; Rice was second at .264.
That balance was a factor in Kamana'o's selection.
"I think Kanoe did a great job helping people recognize how good all of our players are," said Willoughby, who has been among the national leaders in kills, hitting percentage and aces all season. "I've always said that Tano was a great player, but people only looked at the stats. This year, her stats said something.
"We've all been doing our jobs, hitting for a high percentage, getting a nice number of kills. We've been doing our jobs. Kanoe helped people recognize that.
"I was a little surprised about Player of the Year. I didn't think I separated myself from the rest of the conference, made the impact that I have the last two years."
Kamana'o was equally humble.
"Just knowing I was up there with the other freshmen this year was an honor," she said. "There were a lot of good freshmen out there. I think Kim and Lily and the rest of the seniors made me look good. I owe a lot to them."
Shoji, who is not allowed to vote for his own players, said he didn't know how the voting would go.
"You never know what the coaches are thinking," he said. "But we dominated not only statistically but on the scoreboard, too. I think the coaches realize the value of all our players and what they mean to our team."
Hawaii leaves tomorrow morning for the WAC tournament in Reno, Nev. The Rainbow Wahine have won the past three tournament titles (1998, 2001-02) while losing in the championship match twice to BYU (1996-97).
SMU's Lisa Seifert was named the WAC Coach of the Year. The Mustangs, the tournament's second seed, have won a school-best 22 matches this season against six losses and were 11-2 in WAC play.
Note: Hawaii officially completed its fall recruiting for 2004 yesterday when receiving the paperwork on Nickie Thomas, a middle blocker from Westwood High in Austin, Texas. Signing last week were Tara Hittle, a hitter for Colorado Class 5A state champion Doherty High School, and Jessica Keefe, a two-time all conference hitter, from Ames (Iowa) High School. The early signing period concluded today.
