BYU-Hawai'i predicted to repeat as PacWest Volleyball Champs
Seasiders' LeeAnn Mapu chosen Preseason Player of the Year
QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Brigham Young University Hawai‘i has been chosen to repeat as the champions of the Pacific West Conference this year thanks to the support of a trio of preseason all-conference selections.
BYU-Hawai‘i teammates Noelle Filimoeatu (Lindon, UT/Timpanogos), LeeAnn Mapu (Laie, Oahu, HI/Kahuku) and Faylynn Merrick (Sauk Rapids, MN/Sauk Rapids Rice) were all picked for the 2007 PacWest Conference Preseason Volleyball Team by the head coaches of the league.
In addition, Mapu was chosen as the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year.
All three players were members of the 2006 All-Conference squad with Filimoeatu and Mapu earning First Team honors and Merrick landing on the Second Team. The three top players helped lead the Seasiders to an unbeaten 20-0 regular season, a 15-0 league mark and championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division II West Regional.
As a sophomore, Mapu turned in a tremendous 2006 season as the setup player for the Seasiders. She led the PacWest and ranked third in Division II in assists per game with a stunning 14.17 average. She wound up totaling 1006 assists in 71 games.
Merrick, now a junior middle blocker, hit .322 in 69 games for the Seasiders, taking first place in the PacWest by percentage points. She had 174 kills and just 55 errors in 369 attempts.
Filimoeatu finished last season with 280 kills in 70 games, averaging 4.00 kills per and 4.37 points per game. The senior outside hitter ranked sixth in the league in kills and seventh in points during 2006.
The remainder of the seven-member preseason squad featured a par of athletes from Chaminade, a sophomore from the desert and a libero from California.
Grand Canyon University sophomore Dana Edington (Peoria, AZ/Centennial) was named the league's Freshman of the Year in 2006 during her rookie campaign. She will start her sophomore season as a preseason all-conference member.
Chaminade's Evelyn Bluthenthal (Los Angeles, CA) and Trina Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, NV), who were named to the 2006 All-Conference squad, were also picked for the preseason team by the coaches, while the Preseason Libero of the Year honor went to Notre Dame de Namur University junior Shauna Folan (Pacifica, CA/Sacred Heart Cathedral).
Now a senior outside hitter/middle blocker, Bluthenal finished ninth in the PacWest in kills (3.60) and points (4.25) per game, while her 0.39 service aces per contest ranked ninth in the league. Kauliakamoa, now a junior outside hitter for the Silverswords, finished ranked fourth in the league in kills (4.12 p/g) and fifth in points (4.57 p/g) during the 2006 campaign.
An Honorable Mention All-Conference selection in 2006, Folan led the PacWest in digs per game (4.84) last season with 600 in 124 games. With the reformation of the PacWest last year, Folan has established the bar for conference digs in a season and is one of just two league players to crack 400.
An outside hitter for the Antelopes, Edington finished the 2006 campaign ranked eighth in the PacWest in both kills (3.65) and points (4.26) per game.
It really is no surprise that the top four teams selected in the predicted order of finish match up with last season's top four squads at the end of the season.
In addition to BYU-Hawai‘i being voted as the top team heading into the 2007 campaign, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Grand Canyon (AZ) University and Hawai‘i Pacific University round out the top four picks for this season.
Chaminade finished 11-4 last year in the PacWest and boasted an overall mark of 17-6. Grand Canyon finished third in 2006 with a 7-8 league mark, while the Sea Warriors registered a 6-9 PacWest finish. HPU was 9-15 overall and GCU turned in a 17-14 record.
Newcomer Dixie State College of Utah was picked fifth by the coaches and will officially compete for a conference title this year after producing a 12-13 overall record in 2006. The Rebels are part of the conference schedule for the first time this year, while their players can receive PacWest accolades at the end of the 2007 season.
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and NDNU tied for fifth place last year with matching 3-12 PacWest marks, but Hawai‘i Hilo has been chosen to finish sixth and the Argos have been tagged seventh. NDNU was 14-23 in 2006, while the Vulcans were 4-18 overall.
Both NDNU and Dixie State are not eligible for the NCAA post-season this year.
The preseason announcements were made on Wednesday during the first PacWest Volleyball Media Day ever conducted by the conference. An event usually reserved for basketball and football in many leagues, the Pacific West Conference's foray into the sport of volleyball with its popular following in Hawai‘i, on the West Coast and in the Southwest yielded significant media attendance from television, radio and newspapers.
"The idea actually was initiated by John Barry, the sports information director at Hawai‘i Pacific University," Tom Di Camillo, the PacWest conference information director said. "The SIDs in the league met in person for the first time at the College Sports Information Directors of America National Workshop in San Diego back in early July. That meeting really created a bond amongst the SIDs, many of whom had never met face-to-face because of the travel distance within the league. But the bonding and meetings helped foster ideas, and this is just one of those ideas from the SIDs that went beyond our expectations on the first try."
Although records don't really exist to track college volleyball preseason media days, such an event is certainly rare - especially at the NCAA Division II level.
The PacWest is now exploring options on producing a similar Men's and Women's Basketball Media Day in October or November.
For complete Pacific West Conference Volleyball Stats from last season, click on -
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