The 2019 Big West Conference women’s volleyball champion, University of Hawai’i, took home all three top honors.  Senior Setter Norene Iosia nabbed Big West Conference Player of the year, while Hanna Hellvig was named Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. Rainbow Wahine head coach Robyn Ah Mow was named Big West Conference Co-Coach of the Year with Cal State Fullerton’s Ashley Preston.

Six teams were represented on the All-Big West First Team list with Hawai’i leading the way with four selections.  Cal Poly, Long Beach State and UC Davis snagged three spots on the first team and UC Santa Barbara secured two honors. Cal State Fullerton picked up one selection.

Familiar faces comprise this year’s first team list as Iosia and UC Santa Barbara’s Lindsey Ruddins are four-time all-first team members and Long Beach State’s Yizhi Xue is making her third appearance. Xue’s teammate Hailey Harward earned her second first-team selection.


PLAYER OF THE YEAR • NORENE IOSIA, HAWAI’I    
Senior • Setter • Torrance, Calif. • Redondo Union HS
• 10th Hawai’i player named Big West Conference Player of the Year, and first since Nikki Taylor won back-to-back in 2015-16.
• Third setter in 21 years to be named player of the year.
• Four-time All-Big West First Team member.
• Finished the regular season ranked second in the league with a .42 service ace average.
• One of three Rainbow Wahine to play in all 104 sets this season.
• Posted 17 double-doubles on the season.
• Led Hawai’i with 293 digs and posted a dig average of 2.82 to rank 10th in the Big West.
• Paced UH this season with 577 assists, 293 digs, and a career-high 44 service aces.
• Finished the regular season ranked in the UH career record books at No. 10 with 1,137 career digs, No. 9 with 3,080 career assists and No. 4 with 135 service aces.
• Named Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week on October 28 after registering a career-high eight blocks against Cal State Fullerton.


FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR • HANNA HELLVIG, HAWAI’I
Outside Hitter • Stockholm Sweden • Allebergs Gymnasiet
• Becomes the First Rainbow Wahine to be tabbed freshman of the year since Angelica Ljungquist earned the distinction in 1993.
• Earned All-Big West First Team Honors as well as All-Freshman Team accolades.
• Finished seventh in the conference in kills with a 3.12 set average, while pacing UH with 324 kills.
• Ranked third on the Rainbow Wahine squad with 72 blocks.
• Tallied five double-doubles.
• Named Big West Conference Freshman of the Week five times.


CO-COACH OF THE YEAR • ROBYN AH MOW, HAWAI’I
• First coach of the year honor for Robyn Ah Mow, and seventh overall for Hawai’i.
• Led Hawai’i to its first Big West Conference title since 2016.
• Rainbow Wahine posted 24 wins during the regular season, the highest win total since 2015.
• She has Hawai’i headed to the team’s 38th NCAA Tournament, 27th consecutive.
• UH finished the season winning its last 11-straight matches—its longest streak of the year and longest since 2015 when UH won 24-straight matches.


CO-COACH OF THE YEAR • ASHLEY PRESTON, CAL STATE FULLERTON
• Becomes just the second coach in school history to be named Big West Coach of the Year.
• The Titans doubled their win total from a season ago for a total of 12, the highest win total since CSF posted a 15-16 mark in 2012.
• Led Cal State Fullerton to its highest conference win total since 2013 (4-12).
• Guided the Titans to a Top 25 national ranking in digs per set (17.44 DPS; 22nd).
• Freshman Julia Crawford finished the regular season 15th in the nation in attacks per set (12.10) and fourth in the conference in kills (3.87).  Crawford becomes the first Titan to earn Big West All-Freshman honors since 2014 and first All-Big West First Teamer since 2012.