Angelica Ljungqvist marked her first farewell to Hawaii alongside Robyn Ah Mow on a rousing December night in 1996.

The former Rainbow Wahine volleyball All-American will bid aloha again this month to return to Sweden after three seasons on the UH bench as part of Ah Mow’s coaching staff.

Ljungqvist will step down as associate coach of the UH women’s indoor volleyball program and head coach of the Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball program effective July 20, the school announced Thursday.

Ljungqvist, a UH Circle of Honor inductee for a decorated playing career from 1993 to ‘96, returned to Manoa in 2017 after Ah Mow was hired to succeed Dave Shoji as head coach of the Wahine indoor program. The Wahine earned NCAA Tournament berths each of their last three seasons and captured the 2019 Big West championship. The 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic.

Ljungqvist was named the third head coach of the UH beach program last August when the indoor and beach programs were combined. The BeachBows went 17-10 in her lone season and closed with a loss to Cal Poly in the finals of the Big West tournament on May 1 in Long Beach, Calif.

“This was a very difficult decision and it’s heartbreaking to say goodbye,” Ljungqvist said in the announcement from UH. “Returning to my alma mater to coach was a dream come true. I’m truly grateful to Robyn and the administration for giving me this opportunity.

“It has been an honor and privilege to represent UH, the state and the people of Hawai’i and I am so blessed to call Hawaii home. However, right now, it’s important for me to be close to family in Sweden.”

Ljungqvist, a middle blocker from Vallentuna, Sweden, was the first UH player to earn four All-America honors, was named to the AVCA first team in 1995 and ‘96 and was a consensus National Player of the Year as a senior in 1996.

Ljungqvist entered the program with Ah Mow in 1993 and they were inducted into the UH Circle of Honor together in 2006.

They played their final home match on Dec. 13, 1996, leading the Wahine to a sweep of BYU in the NCAA Mountain Regional final and a spot in the Final Four. They closed their careers with a loss to Stanford in the national championship match.

“Ang has been a tremendous asset to the success of our program but more importantly she was a role model for these young women,” Ah Mow said in the release. “She is the face of Hawai’i volleyball. Despite not being from the islands, she knew what it meant to be a Rainbow Wahine and to represent Hawai’i.”

According to the release, a search for a new beach volleyball coach will begin immediately. Evan Silberstein, an assistant with the BeachBows for the past seven years (six under Jeff Hall and last season with Ljungqvist), will serve as interim coach.

“Angelica has been an instrumental part of our women’s volleyball program, first as a student-athlete and most recently as a coach,” UH athletic director David Matlin said. “Her dedication and passion have always been first-rate. This was particularly evident when she stepped up to become our head beach volleyball coach in addition to her indoor duties. We wish her well and thank her for the impact she’s made, particularly with our student-athletes.”