honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 4:14 p.m., Wednesday, November 14, 2007

UH's Houston is WAC Volleyball Player of the Year

Advertiser Staff

Jamie Houston kept one of Hawai'i's most imposing volleyball streaks alive when she was named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year today by WAC coaches. A Rainbow Wahine has won the award all 12 years UH has been a WAC member.

Houston, a junior from Huntsville, Ala., was named first team along with teammates Juliana Sanders and Aneli Cubi-Otineru. It is Houston's second-straight first-team honor; she made the second team as a freshman.

Sanders, a senior out of Castle, has been first team twice. Otineru, a Punahou graduate, transferred to UH this season.

UH setter Stephanie Brandt and opposite Tara Hittle are on the second team.

Both teams have 12 players each.

Libero Liz Ka'aihue, another Punahou graduate, made it on the six-player all-Freshman Team. There were no setters on the first team, but Utah State setter Chelsea Fowles is Freshman of the Year.

Grayson DuBose is Coach of the Year for leading the Aggies to third place —they were picked seventh in the preseason — with Sunday's sweep at Hawai'i.

It was the first time the 'Bows had lost to a WAC team at home, and the first time they had been swept by a WAC team.

Hawai'i is 196-5 since joining the conference, going into tomorrow's WAC Tournament opener against Louisiana Tech or Boise State. That dominance has been evident in the WAC postseason honors. Angelica Ljungquist, Cecelia Goods, Heather Bown (twice), Lily Kahumoku, and Kim Willoughby and Kanoe Kamana'o (three times each) have all been Players of the Year.

All but Goods were All-Americans. Houston was a third-team All-American last season. Her impact on the WAC has been huge this year. She is averaging 5.34 kills a game —seventh in the country — and needs nine kills to move into sixth on the UH career list.

"She was the dominant player in the conference," UH coach Dave Shoji said.

"She's just more physical than anybody else. She hits extremely hard and has the best vertical of any player in the WAC. Combine those two and when her timing is on she is either not blockable or not diggable when she hits it."

Houston was MVP at last year's WAC Tournament.