RIVERSIDE, Calif.— After a record-breaking weekend to kick off the 2018 season, Kaiulani Ahuna of the UC Riverside women's volleyball team earned conference and now national recognition for her performance in the Riverside-Fullerton Classic.
Just one day after earning Big West Conference honors, the senior outside hitter has now been named the Division I Player of the Week by both the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and VolleyMob.
Take a 👀 at the Top 5️⃣ plays from the opening weekend of the volleyball season!#NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/dZaMVkK6Cf
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) August 28, 2018
This is the first time that a Highlander has earned either of these prestigious national honors. The awards are well deserved as Ahuna currently leads the NCAA in total kills (80) and kills p/set (6.67). The senior outside hitter set the program's Division I mark, smashing 33 kills on Eastern Washington just one day after setting the bar for the rally-point era with 30 kills over Montana. This feat makes her the first Highlander to put up 30+ kills in two straight days.
The Hawaii native also showed off her versatility in the matchup with Eastern Washington, scooping up a career-high 23 digs and adding a total of 44 over the weekend.
