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UHH’s Hurley, HPU's Pelayo earn top preseason honors; BYU-Hawaii selected to repeat
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Hawai‘i Hilo senior middle
blocker Hillary Hurley (Anderson,
CA/Enterprise) has been selected the 2011
Pacific West Conference Preseason Volleyball Player of the
Year, while senior defensive specialist Kyra
Pelayo (San Jose, CA/Saint Francis) has been named
the PacWest Preseason Libero of the Year.
The PacWest announced the preseason player of the year honors, the preseason all-conference team, and the predicted order of finish live during its annual Volleyball Media Day broadcast on Aug. 24 at its new home for the PacWest Magazine Radio Show – KQCK Radio.
BYU-Hawaii is the favorite to capture the 2011 crown after sharing the honors with Hawai‘i Hilo in 2010. The Seasiders, however, earned the automatic qualifier based on the tiebreakers and claimed a spot in the NCAA Division II West Region Championship tournament.
PacWest Preseason All-Conference Team
While BYU-Hawaii earned six first-place votes, California Baptist
joins the PacWest this season and already has earned the respect of
the league’s coaches. The Lancers are predicted to finish
second and garnered two first-place votes in the preseason
balloting conducted by the head coaches of the league.
Meanwhile, Hawai‘i Hilo claimed one first-place vote this preseason, predicting the Vulcans to take third in the league. Academy of Art - picked to finish seventh - grabbed the final first-place vote.
The following is the predicted order of finish for 2011. It includes the teams points and number of first-place votes.
- BYU-Hawaii - 94 (6)
- California Baptist - 85 (2)
- Hawai‘i Hilo - 79 (1)
- Hawai‘i Pacific - 71
- Dixie State - 57
- Grand Canyon - 48
- Academy of Art - 45 (1)
- Notre Dame de Namur - 28
- Chaminade - 26
- Dominican (CA) - 18
The 2011 PacWest Preseason All-Conference Team includes Hurley and
Pelayo, as well as HPU senior outside hitter Natasha
Bell (Sunnyvale, CA/The Kings Academy) and Academy of
Art senior middle blocker Amy Bush (Yucaipa,
CA/Yucaipa).
BYU-Hawaii landed two preseason selections, including junior outside hitter Lauren Hagemeyer (Ridgway, CO/Ridgway) and senior outside hitter Losaline (Faka‘osi) Pula. Notre Dame de Namur senior outside hitter Christina Villamayor (Poway, CA/Poway) rounded out the squad.
Hurley returns to the Vulcans after a stellar 2010 campaign that
saw her claim All-PacWest First Team honors for the second time in
her career. She was a First Team selection in 2007 when she also
was named the PacWest Freshman of the Year. Last season Hurley led
the league in kill average with a 4.71 per set mark, while her 5.25
points per set ranked first in the conference.
Pelayo, the 2010 Libero of the Year, also was named All-PacWest for the second time in her career. She was a First Team selection last season and an Honorable Mention in 2009. In 2010 she topped the PacWest in digs per set with a 6.72 average. She also ranked ninth in the league in service aces per set (0.29).
Villamayor has claimed three straight All-PacWest awards during
her career with the Argos, earning Honorable Mention in 2008 and
2009, and a First Team selection in 2010. Last season she ranked
second in kills per set (4.17), sixth in aces per set (0.31) and
second in points per set (4.60).
(Faka‘osi) Pula earned her second consecutive All-PacWest First Team selection for the Seasiders in 2010 after finishing ninth in the league in points per set (3.36), sixth in kills per set (3.03), and eighth in digs per set (3.95). Hagemeyer also claimed All-PacWest First Team accolades in 2010 after averaging 3.03 kills per set to finish fifth in the conference – percentage points ahead of her teammate.
Bush was the top hitter in the conference last year, landing Honorable Mention accolades in 2010 after turning in a .352 average. She had 189 kills in 398 attempts with just 49 errors.
Bell produced a solid all-around season that landed her on the
All-PacWest Second Team. She was eighth in kills per set (2.91) and
third in aces per set (0.34) in the PacWest.
