University of Hawaii sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson was named today to the first team on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I All-America team for women's volleyball.

The awards will be presented Friday at the AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla.
Daneilson, a 5-10 Kamehameha Schools alum from Ewa Beach, led UH to its 10th Western Athletic Conference title while being named its Player of the Year.
One of the country's best in hitting percentage, kills and points per set, Danielson was named to the third team last season.
Another UH player, Aneli Cubi-Otineru, was named to the third team while teammates, Amber Kaufman and Dani Mafua, were honorable mention.
Former Kalani star Tamari Miyashiro of Washington was named to the second team.

Danielson, who is averaging 4.25 kills per game, hit .327 this year — 41 points higher than last year. She was named Most Outstanding Player at Stanford Regional.

"Kanani is just dynamic, she can do everything," said UH teammate Stephanie Brandt. "When she’s on she gets blocks and kills, passes perfectly, does everything … she just has so much potential for greatness it’s ridiculous.
"She’s a volleyball player and she’s insanely athletic, the rare combination of both. You usually get either the 6-foot-5 player who’s not that coordinated or the girl who is coordinated and knows the game but not tall enough to make that big of an impact. But she’s an athlete and a volleyball player. It’s quite the combination."

Said Utah State coach Grayson DuBose: "Obviously Kanani is a large part of what they do offensively. UH relies on her ability to hit with range and power and she is the person they go to when they need a sideout. I feel that way about both her and Aneli. They are just good at playing volleyball."

Cubi-Otineru, a 5-11 senior and Punahou alum, is the second player in school history (after Olympian Teee Williams) to get 1,000 kills in three years. She was named All-WAC first team all three years.

The Division I AVCA National Player of the Year will be announced Friday at the banquet.

Penn State University senior outside hitter Megan Hodge headlines this year's recipients, as the only four-time first-team honoree among the group of 42 athletes.

Repeat first-team selections include California's Hana Cutura, Penn State University's Alisha Glass and Texas' Ashey Engle and Destinee Hooker

To view the lists: http://www.avca.org/articles/index.cfm?action=view&articleID=2967