BYU-Hawaii's Mapu, Faka‘osi take top honors; Dixie State's Luna named Newcomer of Year; HPU's Yoshimura is Libero of Year

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - BYU-Hawaii captured three of the five major Pacific West Conference volleyball awards while the six First Team members were no strangers to post-season honors as the All-PacWest Volleyball Team was announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from the conference media office in Queen Creek, AZ.

BYU-Hawaii senior setter LeeAnn Mapu (Laie, HI/Kahuku - photo) was named the PacWest Player of the Year, while rookie teammate Losaline Faka‘osi (Salt Lake City, UT/Highland) was chosen as the Freshman of the Year as the Seasiders capped a tremendous 2008 campaign that saw them win the PacWest Championship for the second time in three years and claim a berth in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament.

BYU-Hawaii head coach Wilfred Navalta was named PacWest Coach of the Year as his Seasiders posted a 16-9 overall record and a 12-2 conference mark.

Hawai‘i Pacific sophomore Tricia Yoshimura (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Baptist) was selected as the Libero of the Year and Dixie State junior outside hitter Katie Luna (Mesa, AZ/Westwood - photo) was chosen as the Newcomer of the Year.

Mapu was stellar in 2008 for the Seasiders. She earned her third straight All-PacWest First Team selection by averaging 10.28 assists per game. She totaled 853 assists in 83 games and was the quarterback of the Seasider attack.

Faka‘osi was stellar in her freshman season. She averaged 3.71 points per game to land fifth in the conference in scoring.

The rookie Seasider amassed 280 kills, 11 aces, three block solos and 21 block assists for 304.5 points. She ranked fourth in the PacWest in kills per game (3.26) and ninth in the league in digs per contest (3.05). Her outstanding defense produced 250 digs this year.

After two straight Second Team selections, BYU-Hawaii senior middle blocker Faylynn Merrick (Sauk Rapids, MN/Sauk Rapids Rice) was named All-PacWest First Team in 2008 for her outstanding defense and timely hitting.

She averaged 1.02 blocks per game after totaling 66 in 65 games, and she hit .275 with 65 kills for the Seasiders. She ranked fifth in the PacWest in hitting and fourth in block average.

Junior OH Agnes Tuilevuka (Suva, Fiji - photo) made her debut on the All-PacWest squad as a member of the Second Team. She hit .255 for BYU-Hawaii to rank sixth in the PacWest, while her 3.26 kills per game landed her fifth for the season.

Tuilevuka finished the year ranked sixth in scoring, averaging 3.51 points per contest. She totaled 301.5 points on 280 kills, 31 block assists, four block solos and two service aces.

In addition to earning the Libero of the Year award, Yoshimura claimed All-PacWest Second team honors. She led the conference in digs per game (5.36) and wound up with a total of 515 in 96 bouts.

Hawai‘i Pacific sophomore middle hitter Kelly Balanay (San Diego, CA/Valhalla) repeated as a First Team selection for the Sea Warriors after leading the entire PacWest in hitting.

She posted a .313 average with 257 kills and just 80 errors. She ranked ninth in kills per game (2.82), seventh in points per game (3.47) and second in blocks per game (1.08).

Balanay (photo) completed her 2008 campaign with 316 points on 257 kills, 80 block assists, 18 block solos and an ace.

Junior OH Julia Gruszecka (Lodz, Poland) rounded out HPU's All-Conference choices after earning Honorable Mention accolades. Gruszecka wound up fourth in the PacWest in aces per game (0.40) after forging the fifth-highest total (37).

Dixie State landed three All-PacWest Second Team selections, including Luna who had a standout season in her first year competing in the PacWest. She finished the season ranked third in kills per game (3.52) and tied for second in total kills with Notre Dame de Namur's lone All-PacWest selection - freshman OH Christina Villamayor (Poway, CA/Poway).

Luna also finished third in points per game with a 3.89 average. She accumulated 377.5 points on 341 kills, 18 service aces, 31 block assists and three block solos.

Villamayor, meanwhile, was named Honorable Mention for NDNU after finishing 10th in points per game (3.18) and eighth in kills per game (2.82).

Dixie State's other two All-PacWest Second Team selections were sophomore setter Anna Bullard (Farmington, UT/Davis - photo) and junior OH Cami Johnson (Morgan, UT/Morgan).

Bullard collected 792 assists and averaged 8.52 per game to rank fifth in the PacWest, while her 0.49 aces per game was good enough for second in the league. She totaled 46 service aces - the second most in the conference this year.

Johnson was an Honorable Mention last season who made the jump to Second Team this year after averaging 3.35 points per game. She ranked eighth in the league in scoring and totaled 312 points on 275 kills, 19 aces, 30 block assists and three block solos.

Grand Canyon earned two all-conference selections thanks to junior OH Heather Baron (Lancaster, CA/Saguaro) earning All-PacWest Second team accolades and junior OH Dana Edington (Peoria, AZ/Centennial) collecting her third straight All-PacWest award.

Edington was a Second Team selection in 2006 and 2007 before earning Honorable Mention this year. She also was the 2006 Freshman of the Year in the PacWest.

Baron ranked ninth in the conference in scoring, recording a 3.22 points per game average, while on defense she scraped together 317 digs for a 2.86 per game rate. She ranked 10th in the PacWest in digs per game.

Chaminade registered a pair of All-PacWest selections in First Team outside hitter Trina Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, NV/Palo Verde - photo) and Honorable Mention middle blocker Vanja Radanovic (Zrenjanin, Serbia).

Kauliakamoa, a junior, is a three-time All-PacWest First Team selection who ranked second in the conference in scoring average (3.98) this season.

She accumulated 350 points on 313 kills, 26 service aces, 14 block assists and four block solos while totaling 278 digs on defense.

She ranked 10th in the league in hitting (.221), 10th in service aces per game (0.30), eighth in digs per game (3.16) and second in kills per game (3.56).

Radanovic, also a junior, finished second on the Silverswords in scoring with 221.5 points.

Hawai‘i Hilo earned the most All-PacWest awards with two First Team selections and a pair of Honorable Mentions. Junior outside hitter Josimara Pinheiro (Jundiai, Brazil) and junior middle hitter Fabiane Seben (Caxias do Sul, Brazil - photo) each were named First Team for the Vulcans.

Pinheiro jumped from the Second Team in 2007 to the top squad this year after leading the PacWest in kill average (3.83), points per game (4.41) and total points (463.5). She ranked seventh in hitting (.249).

Seben was a repeat First Team member after she topped the PacWest in blocks per game (1.26), total blocks (132), block assists (119) and total service aces (50). She ranked second in hitting (.301) and fourth in scoring (3.89 points per game), and she accrued 408.5 points on 286 kills, 119 block assists, 13 block solos and 50 service aces. Seben ranked third in service aces per game (0.48) this year in the league.

Junior opposite/middle blocker Morgan Bonney (LaGrande, OR/LaGrande) and junior setter Emily Tooker (Gladstone, Queensland, Australia) each claimed All-PacWest Honorable Mention.

Bonney ranked fourth in the conference in hitting (.276) and finished with 186 kills and 104 blocks. She ranked fifth in block average (1.01), second in total blocks and second in block assists (96).

Tooker led all PacWest setters with 1095 assists and a 10.63 per game average.

Athletes from each of the seven PacWest teams were nominated for All-PacWest honors and player of the year awards by their head coach or a representative from their school.

The head coach or designated representative also voted for the All-PacWest squad.

The only award not voted upon was coach of the year which is automatically presented to the head coach of the PacWest Champion.