2019 University of Hawaii Hilo Volleyball
Overall Record: 23-8
PWC Record: 18-4 (Second place)

Unfamiliar Territory: The 2019 UH Hilo women's volleyball team entered territory that had been untouched by recent Vulcan teams. The Vulcans qualified for the NCAA West Region Tournament for the first time since 2011, and finished second in the Pacific West Conference. It was UH Hilo's best conference finish since 2010, when they tied for the title with BYU-Hawaii.

West is Best: The Vulcans advanced to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed, taking on No. 2 seed and No. 4 nationally ranked Western Washington. The Vikings, who reached the NCAA title match in 2018, won in three sets but two of the games could have gone either way—26-24, 25-15, 25-23. Western Washington would fall in the semifinals to the PacWest's Azusa Pacific. The Cougars then took No. 1 ranked Cal State San Bernardino to five nail-biting sets before falling to the eventual national champions. The Coyotes would complete 2019 completely unblemished with an undefeated record of 33-0.

Chris Quote: Vulcan head coach Chris Leonard spoke to the strength of Vulcans, conference and region. "I am really excited about the progress that we made throughout the season. We had an opportunity to see the best teams in the region, and in the west, those are also some of the top squads in the country. We are not that far away from where we want to be."

Senior Salute: The Vulcans graduate just four seniors from their program in 2019. UH Hilo says goodbye to Libero Kaila Lizama, middle blocker Armani Moultrie, and outside hitters Lucee Fitzgerald and Tori Daligcon. Lizama was a record-setter (more on that later), Moultrie had the best season of her career, and Fitzgerald and Daligcon played key roles off the bench.

13 for 2020: UHH can welcome back 13 players in 2020, including five players that started at least 90 percent of the matches. "We have a great talent pool returning for next year," Leonard said. "We return a significant portion of a team that gained valuable playoff experience. They have seen where the bar is set, they know what it takes to get to the next level. We will be recruiting a few spots and hope to be even stronger in 2020."

Kudos to Chris: Leonard took over the Vulcans program in the summer, stepping in as the interim leader of the team. No stranger to the Vulcans and Big Island volleyball, Leonard was the Vulcans lead assistant for the five years previous. He also has over 20 years of experience at the high school and club level. He is the longtime Club Director and Head Coach of the Pilipa`a girls volleyball team, and is a board member and High Performance Director for the Moku O Keawe Region of USA Volleyball. His resume includes listings as the head coach at Waiakea High School (girls) for one year, and two years as their assistant. He also spent 14 years as an assistant with the boys program at Waiakea and three years as an assistant girls coach at Kamehameha School. He is an inductee in the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame.

Mediocre Beginning, Hot Middle, Solid Finish: The Vulcans began the year in mediocre fashion, starting at 5-5 overall and 0-2 in the PacWest after home losses to Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade. Sitting at .500, the season was on the brink, so to speak. Leonard's team answered the call with 12 consecutive wins, including a 5-set thriller over eventual PacWest champ Azusa Pacific. The Vulcans would then win six of their final eight contests to claim second place in the PacWest (18-4) and soon thereafter the seventh seed in the regional tournament.

Home Sweet Home: After those two staggering losses to open the conference season, the squad turned Vulcan Gymnasium into a house of horrors for visiting teams. UH Hilo won nine straight matches at home after those September setbacks, and in the process turned the cozy gymnasium into a true home court advantage. The Vulcans led the PacWest in attendance, averaging nearly 650 fans per match, with a unique blend of loud students and community members. "Our fans, no doubt, were the best in the conference," Leonard said. "Our student and community support was amazing, making for the best atmosphere in the PacWest."

Cougar Clash: UH Hilo's best win at home came against eventual PacWest champion and regional finalist Azusa Pacific. On October 28, the Vulcans and Cougars squared off in one of the best matches of the season, with APU taking a 2-1 lead after a wild third set (28-26). But the Vulcans would rally to take sets four and five for the final tally of 20-25, 24-12, 26-28, 25-17, 15-11. It was UHH's 12-straight win, and they were led by 6-foot-3 freshman Emily Wade. The middle blocker had a career-high 24 kills, matching up against the Pacific West Conference Player of the Year, Julianne Miller. Wade hit .478, had one solo block and nine assisted blocks. The Vulcans controlled the middle, with Armani Moultrie adding 16 kills. Kaila Lizama had 35 digs and Kendall Kott had 59 assists in front of 633 highly entertained fans.

Going the Distance: The Vulcans played nine 5-set matches this year. UH Hilo went 6-3 in those matches, winning their last three 5-setters.

Vulcan Trio: Three UH Hilo players were named to the All-Pacific West Conference team at seasons end. Junior outside hitter Bria Beale and freshman middle blocker Emily Wade were named to the First Team, while freshman setter Kendall Kott earned Second Team honors.

Bria's the Best: For the second year in a row, Bria Beale earned First Team All-PacWest honors, but the trophies didn't stop there. The Eastvale, Calif. native also earned First Team honors on the D2CCAA All-West Region squad, the first Vulcan to earn such an honor since 2011 (Hillary Hurley). Beale was just one of seven players selected to the First Team, chosen from among all the players in the PacWest, GNAC and CCAA. She led the PacWest in points (499) and kills (439). She led the Vulcans in those two categories plus service aces (34) and was second in digs (350). She was also selected to the CoSIDA All-West Region Academic Team, carrying a 3.82 grade point average in her major of Communications.

Record Re-Write: The University of Hawai`i at Hilo has a deep and successful history in women's volleyball, but unfortunately Top 10 lists haven't been compiled yet. In over 40 years of volleyball, making a Top 10 list would be quite an accomplishment, but two Vulcans did even better in 2019. Freshman setter Kendall Kott climbed to the top of the ladder with 1,274 assists this season and senior libero Kaila Lizama set a new school record with 582 digs.

PacWest Leadership: The Vulcans finished with some individual leaders on the PacWest stat board.
*Bria Beale—1st in kills (439), 1st in points (499)
*Kendall Kott—1^st in assists per set (10.)
*Emily Wade—2nd in blocks (1.24), 5^th in hitting % (.344), 10^th in kills (2.72)
*Kaila Lizama—5th in digs (4.89)
*Amber Tai—8^th in aces (33)
 
Other News and Notes: Alexandria Parisian started every match for the Vulcans (31) and was third on the team in kills (260) and second in block assists (67)…The Vulcans lost junior middle blocker Ashton Jessee, a three-year starter, after just 10 games to an injury. Jessee had led the PacWest in blocks in 2018, and ranked 11^th in the NCAA (1.31)….Armani Moultrie, Emily Wade and Kamilla Marinas all stepped up in Jessee's absence helping the Vulcans total 253 blocks on the year…The Vulcans had the top kill-maker in the PacWest in Bria Beale, but they were balanced as well. Amber Tai had 11 matches with double figure kills, including 19 against Notre Dame de Namur…Libero Kaila Lizama was known for her dig totals, but she also had 30 service aces on the season, including five against Holy Names.