IRVINE, Calif. -- All three Hawai`i teams were in Southern California for a busy week of volleyball for the seven teams involved, and Azusa Pacific emerged from the week with three wins and at least a share of the PacWest title.
Azusa Pacific only dropped one set in its three wins over Chaminade, Hawai`i Hilo and Hawai`i Pacific as the Cougars improved to 18-2 on the season to earn at least a share of the conference title. The Cougars can also clinch the automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional with just one more win or a loss by Hawai`i Hilo.
Aliyah Morrison had one of her best weeks of the season, registering 30 kills for a .456 hitting percentage over the course of the three wins. The Cougars will find out where they stand in the West Region rankings going into the final week of the season on Wednesday, while Hawai`i Hilo is also hoping for good news.
The Vulcans reached 21 wins in a season for the second-consecutive year after going 3-1 on the team’s trip through Southern California. Hawai`i Hilo played four matches in the span of six days and it all started with a crucial five-set win against Biola on Monday. Then they earned four-set wins against Concordia and Point Loma.
Concordia improved to 10-9 in PacWest play last week and will face Azusa Pacific on Wednesday of this week. Point Loma will go to Biola with a chance to take sole possession of third place in the PacWest standings. Hawai`i Hilo returns to action on the Big Island on Wednesday, hosting Holy Names.
Weekly awards for the week of Nov. 11-17
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Raegan Tjepkema, Biola
MB, Fr., 6-3 -- Ladera Ranch, Calif.
Tjepkema helped Biola win one of three matches last week against Hawai`i schools. The freshman led the conference in hitting percentage for the week and had 38 kills in 12 sets. She opened the week with a career-high 18 kills against Hawai`i Hilo and only had three errors in the five-set match. She then helped Biola to its win with a 13-kill performance during which she had zero attack errors. Tjepkema finished the week with 16 blocks and 11 of those blocks came in the five-set match against Hawai`i Hilo, which was also a season-high for Tjepkema.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Emily Wade, Hawai`i Hilo
MB, Fr., 6-3 -- Sacramento, Calif.
Wade helped Hawai`i Hilo win three of four matches through a difficult trip through southern California, playing against four of the top seven teams in the PacWest standings. Wade finished the week with 54 kills and 24 blocks as the Vulcans earned wins over Biola, Point Loma and Concordia over a span of just six days. Wade had four solo blocks in the Vulcans’ win over Point Loma and had four more against Concordia to push her season total to 25 solo blocks. She led the conference in kills while recording a .325 percentage.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Kendall Kott, Hawai`i Hilo
S, Fr., 6-0 -- Shingle Springs, Calif.
With a week left in the regular season Kott already has the sixth most assists in a single season by a setter in PacWest history at 1,170. She needs just five more to catch fifth place. The freshman had 171 assists in four matches last week, including a 50-assist performance against Biola. She also had 49 assists in four sets against Point Loma in the most productive freshman season for a setter in PacWest history.