Another trifecta for Hawaii.
The Rainbow Wahine have won three consecutive tournaments, have had three different players pick up the Most Valuable Player bowl and each of those players has gone on to win a weekly award from the Big West.
On Monday, it was outside hitter Hanna Hellvig earning Freshman of the Week conference honors. The MVP of last week’s Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational had a combined 37 kills, 38 digs and 13 blocks as the then-No. 18 Rainbow Wahine defeated West Virginia, Utah Valley and UCLA.
“I get chickenskin. I think it’s awesome that three different girls got the tournament awards,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow said before Monday’s practice. “It speaks about the team and how hard they all work.
“It isn’t just one person carrying the team. There’s a whole bunch of girls who can do the job.”
Last week it was Hellvig, a 6-foot-1 Swedish national, who recorded her first two career double-doubles, with 17 kills and 17 digs against Utah Valley, and 11 kills and 12 digs against UCLA. She also tied her career high in blocks with five against both West Virginia and Utah Valley.
Hellvig, who leads the team in kills (103), was also nominated for Player of the Week, but that honor went to Cal Poly’s Maia Dvoracek. Wahine freshman middle Amber Igiede was nominated for defensive honors, with the award going to UC Santa Barbara’s Rowan Ennis.
Also Monday, Hawaii moved up five spots to No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25. It is the highest ranking for the Wahine since Week 14 of 2016, when they were No. 12.
Hawaii (9-0) is one of 10 ranked teams still undefeated. Another is Nebraska (7-0), which moved up a spot to No. 1 in the poll, replacing defending national champion Stanford (5-1).
The Wahine will see two other unbeatens later this week when traveling to the Baylor Challenge. Hawaii faces No. 17 Missouri (8-0) on Saturday and the fifth-ranked Bears (7-0) on Sunday.
It is the first road trip of the year for the Wahine, who will be on the mainland for 12 days. After leaving Waco, Texas, Hawaii opens Big West play at Long Beach State (3-6) on Sept. 27 and at Cal State Northridge (3-6) on Sept. 28.
It hasn’t been decided whether Wahine junior hitter Jolie Rasmussen will make the trip to Texas. Rasmussen, who sprained her right ankle in last Friday’s match with West Virginia, has not been cleared to practice since then.
Rasmussen, named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Sept. 3, is second on the team in kills (96).