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2 Rainbow Warrior volleyballers earn first-team All-America honors

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JAMM AQUINO / 2016

Hawaii’s Jennings Franciskovic, Stijn van Tilburg and Hendrik Mol earned AVCA All-America honors. Franciskovic and van Tilburg made the first team. Mol received honorable mention recognition.

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VICTOR POSADAS / SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER

Hawaii libero Tui Tuileta made the AVCA All-America second team.

COLUMBUS, Ohio >> Hawaii senior setter Jennings Franciskovic and sophomore opposite Stijn van Tilburg today were named to the AVCA All-America first team, two of the four Rainbow Warrior volleyball players earning postseason honors.

Franciskovic and van Tilburg are the first first-teamers since middle blocker Taylor Averill won back-to-back honors in 2014-15. The pair are the 19th and 20th Warriors to make the first team, giving the program 29 certificates; Hawaii has had four multiple winners: Costas Theocharidis (4), Yuval Katz (2). Jonas Umlauft (2) and Averill (2).

Franciskovic, an honorable mention in 2015, is just the third Hawaii setter on the first team, joining Erik Pichel (1996) and Brian Beckwith (2006).

Named to the second team was sophomore libero Larry “Tui” Tuileta while senior middle Hendrik Mol was among the honorable mentions. Tuileta, playing the position for the first time in his career after being an outside hitter, is the third libero joining Alfee Reft (1st and 2nd team) and Kolby Kanetake (2nd).

“Jennings and Stijn have had great years, have been part of why we’ve won so much,” said Hawaii coach Charlie Wade, a member of the selection committee. “It’s nice to seem them recognized.”

Also, Stanford junior libero Evan Enriques (Kamehameha-Hawaii) was named to the honorable mention team.

The fourth-seeded Warriors (26-5) meet fifth-seeded Penn State (21-10) in the second play-in match Tuesday evening. In the opener, third-seeded Brigham Young (24-4) faces Barton (23-5) at noon Hawaii time.

The players will be honored at Wednesday’s All-American banquet held in conjunction with the NCAA championship tournament.

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