"That's a great honor," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "He earned it."

Reft and UH left-side hitter Pedro Azenha also were named to the ASICS/Volleyball Magazine's All-America first team.

Reft played at UC Santa Barbara as a freshman before transferring to UH in August 2003. He started at UH the past two seasons. In 2005, he was third nationally with 2.67 digs per game, breaking UH's rally-scoring-era record of 272 digs in a season.

Associate coach Tino Reyes "put a lot of emphasis on defense," Reft said. "We worked a lot on defensive technique. We spent a lot of time after practice working on that. It really paid off."

Reyes said Reft improved his understanding of the game as the season progressed. When receiving serves, Reyes said, Reft "was running around a bit. Watch a baseball player try to field a ball. If he's moving before the ball is hit, it's tough to make the catch. You have to watch the ball being hit and then react. That's what Alfee learned to do."

Reyes said Reft worked on his passing before and after each 2-hour practice.

"There's no secret to why he succeeded," Reyes said. "He just put in the time."

Wilton said Reft's award "is a wonderful thing to build on. He's such a humble guy that sometimes he wonders if he's a good player. This honor will let him know he's a really good player."

Reft will be busy this summer. He will compete for the U.S. team in the World University Games in Turkey. Reft will train at the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs next month. The Games will be played Aug. 11 to 21.

"It's kind of cool to represent the team," said Reft, who will return for his senior season.

In related news, UH recruit Matt Rawson, a 6-8 middle blocker/opposite attacker from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., was named the Torrance Daily Breeze's Male Volleyball Player of the Year.

As a junior, Rawson played at Saint Bernard, where he was coached by former UH player Jason Olive. Nicknamed "Dragon," Rawson induced fans to flap their arms after he made a big play.