Hawaii’s clean run through the Big West women’s water polo season produced a clean sweep in the conference’s postseason awards on Friday.

The Rainbow Wahine picked up the Big West Player of the year (attacker Bernadette Doyle), the Big West Coach of the Year (James Robinson) and the Big West Freshman of the Year (attacker Ema Vernoux).

Doyle, Vernoux and goalkeeper Daisy Logtens were named to the All-Big West first team while center Jordan Wedderburn was named to the second team.

Roni Perlman was named an honorable mention. Vernoux and Gabrielle Doyle were named to the All-Freshman team.

Robinson succeeded longtime coach Maureen Cole and has maintained a period of some of the greatest success in program history. UH (21-4), despite losing four of its top five scorers from its national semifinal team of 2024, has won 20 straight matches against Big West opponents on the way to the conference regular-season and tournament championships. UH attained its third straight 20-win season.

Bernadette Doyle’s top individual award was UH’s seventh in 12 seasons of Big West membership. Doyle, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, made good on a second chance with the program to become a two-way disruptor for opponents. She tied for second on the team in points (53 goals, 38 assists) and tied for the conference lead in steals (51). For good measure, the 5-foot-6 New Zealander had 13 field blocks.

She is one of only two players to reach 100 goals, 100 assists and 100 steals for a Wahine career.

Vernoux, of France, was UH’s sixth top Big West freshman honoree. Her 75 goals is the fourth highest in a season in program history.

Logtens, a sophomore from the Netherlands, made the first team for a second time. Her 9.02 goals-against average led the league.

Wedderburn, a senior from South Africa, was second on the team with 65 goals and drew a team-high 69 exclusions. She led UH in goals in conference games with 22. At Thursday night’s H Awards, Wedderburn received the Jack Bonham Award for the athletic department’s top honor to a men’s and women’s senior that “best exemplifies the ideals for which Jack Bonham stood for in the areas of athletic excellence, academic achievement, public service, leadership and character.” Wedderburn was tied with UH women’s basketball point guard Lily Wahinekapu tied with Wedderburn for the women’s award while football quarterback Brayden Schager received it for men’s sports.

Fourth-seeded UH faces Cal (19-5) in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 9 at IUPUI’s IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 9.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.

Boys volleyball has been and continues to be on the rise in Minnesota. Shakopee has been on the cutting edge for a while.

“The amount of kids we have at open gyms, the tryouts have grown every single year,” said Shakopee junior setter Grant Menke. “In clubs, it’s growing. Throughout the state, it’s growing. Even up north, there are now teams where in the past there hadn’t been at all.”

This year’s boost comes in the first season the sport is officially sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). For the players and coaches, this year feels new in multiple ways, some more tangible than others.

“We had a bus for the first time, since it’s sanctioned now,” said Shakopee senior setter Dom Tor. “That was very cool to have a bus to away games because before we would have to drive ourselves or commute to away games.”

“It felt different. It absolutely did,” said Shakopee’s head coach Krista Flemming, who played a major role in getting the sport sanctioned. “We’re doing so many of the things the same as we had been doing (as a club team). But it’s the whole thing of feeling more official.”

Over at Eastview High School, the first-ever official season brought some new players.

“This year, in some of our younger teams, we saw some kids that were football or basketball, or other fall and winter sports, that were like, ‘yeah, I can make that my spring sport,'” said head coach Ryan Dehnel.

History is on the line too. Shakopee won the last club boys’ volleyball state tournament in 2024. This season, a gauntlet can be thrown. Like many teams, Eastview wants to win the first ever MSHSL state title.

“That is the ultimate goal, “said Eastview senior outside hitter Keuni Saki. “To win the first high school state tournament.”

“Just being remembered in history as the first team to win the sanctioned sport,” said Eastview opposite hitter Colin Nathan. “It’s very enticing.”

The Jack Bonham Award was presented to Lily Wahinekapu (women’s basketball), Jordan Wedderburn (women’s water polo) and Brayden Schager (football) at the 12th annual H Awards on April 30. The Bonham Award is the University of Hawaiʻi Athletics Department’s highest individual honor.

Leadership on the court, in the pool and on the field, along with excellence in the classroom and service in the community link the 2025 recipients.

Lily Wahinekapu

ʻOhana has been at the core of Wahinekapu’s decorated three-year athletic and academic careers as a member of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program. Playing in front of family and friends in the arena and alongside her sister in the UH backcourt, Wahinekapu led the team in scoring each of her three seasons while helping the ‘Bows capture two Big West regular-season titles and a conference tournament championship on their way to three national postseason tournament appearances.

She was twice named to the All-Big West first team and in 2025 became the third UH player to be named Big West Player of the Year. She became the 25th member of the program’s 1,000-point club and ended her career 17th on the all-time scoring list. She also ranks seventh in made 3-pointers.

A team captain as a senior, Wahinekapu received the Ah Chew Goo Award as the program’s “most valuable team player.” In the classroom, she earned Academic All-Big West honors each of her three years at UH and was twice named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

The product of Kāneʻohe, Wahinekapu also gave back to the Windward Oʻahu community in service projects including cleanups at Waimānalo Beach and Punaluʻu Loʻi. She also helped fundraise for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank as part of Maui wildfire relief efforts and has worked with special needs children with Team Impact.

“Lily Wahinekapu has been one of my favorite athletes to coach,” UH women’s basketball head coach Laura Beeman said. “She is passionate and an incredible teammate. She has represented the university and the state with pride.”

Jordan Wedderburn

Prioritizing team success over individual accolades, Jordan Wedderburn has exemplified selfless leadership while contributing to the most successful four-year stretch in UH water polo history.

Wedderburn served as a team captain for South Africa’s water polo team in the Tokyo Olympic Games before enrolling at UH and has ranked among the team’s scoring leaders each of her four years while thriving in varying roles within the lineup. She further elevated her production as a senior, posting a career-high 65 goals entering the NCAA Championship to join UH’s career top 10. She also tied program records with three Big West Player of the Week awards this season and four in her career.

She has helped UH claim three Big West regular-season titles with a 26-1 cumulative record in conference play, and back-to-back Big West Championship crowns. She helped UH ascend to No. 2 in the national polls in 2024—the highest ranking in program history—and the ‘Bows have maintained a spot in the top three for much of this season.

“Jordan has always been the spirit of the team, providing energy in a positive manner whenever the team needs it,” UH water polo coach James Robinson said. “Jordan plays a role for this team that she never played before in her water polo career. Every year Jordan has had to make sacrifices and play a different role than she probably would like to, but she has never once complained.”

Wedderburn holds a 3.78 grade-point average while majoring in kinesiology and entered her senior year as a two-time Academic All-Big West and ACWPC All-Academic honoree.

She has served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative for two years and worked with Access Surf, helping those with physical or cognitive disabilities to swim or surf. She also participated in Kōkua Learning Farm work days and with the Child Life Program, spending time with children going through treatment for retinoblastoma (an eye cancer) and their families.

Brayden Schager

On the field, Brayden Schager earned a place among UH’s storied line of quarterbacks over his career as a three-year starter. Off the field, his efforts to spread joy to young people with special needs—both in Hawaiʻi and his home state of Texas—drew national acclaim.

Schager made 37 starts at quarterback in his UH career, the second highest total in program history, including a record streak of 33 in a row. He picked up All-Mountain West honorable mention recognition in 2023 and closed his career ranked among the most prolific passers in program history at No. 4 in passing yards (9,096) and total offense (9,415). He’s also fifth in passing touchdowns (60) and touchdowns responsible for (68).

A three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree, Schager was one of 11 FBS players nationally selected to the 2024 AFCA Good Works Team, which honored student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their “good works” off the field. He was also a semifinalist for the 2024 Wuerffel Award, considered college football’s premier honor for community service.

Throughout his stay in Hawaiʻi, he remained committed to organizing the Buddy Bowl, an event he founded with his sister in their hometown of Highland Park, Texas. The game gives athletes with physical and mental disabilities an opportunity to play with their peers with the support of fans, the Highland Park football team and cheerleaders. During his time in Hawaiʻi, he participated in the Unity Prom for special needs students and took part in the Night to Shine where he formed a close bond with a dear friend with special needs who he continues to call and text. He also helped develop the BraddahBall, with proceeds going to Maui relief efforts.

“He was a team captain for us and spent the last three years on our leadership committee,” UH football coach Timmy Chang said. “He has been a focal point of the program, not only on the field but off the field as well with his engagement within the community. … He is an exceptional individual and that was displayed during his time at the University of Hawaiʻi. Brayden Schager helped lay the foundation for the future of our program.”

Learn more about at HawaiiAthletics.com.

AMHERST, N.Y. – Penn State posted its fifth-consecutive sweep with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-22) win over Daemen in the National Collegiate Championship Opening Round on Friday night at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions improved to 15-15, while the Wildcats, the champions out of the NEC, exited their first NC Championship appearance with an overall record of 15-13.

Penn State advances to the eight-team portion of the NC Championship as the seventh seed and will play second-seeded Hawaii on Thursday at Ohio State’s Covelli Center. That will be the location for the remainder of the championship event.

Matthew Luoma paced Penn State’s attack, hitting .345 with 14 kills in addition to three aces, three digs, and one block. The Nittany Lions hit .380 behind 30 assists from Michael Schwob, who joined Luoma with three aces of his own. It was the sixth-straight match that Schwob served for exactly three aces.

Owen Rose had an efficient night in the middle with six kills on .750 hitting. Carter Dittman also hit at a high clip, totaling five kills with a .455 percentage. Will Kuhns added six kills, while Gaige Gabriel chipped in with three.

Penn State libero Ryan Merk led all players with nine digs. Dittman and Kuhns contributed five apiece.

Daemen was led by Billy Wieberg with 12 kills on .308 hitting, while Zach Schneider, nephew of Penn State men’s volleyball alum Byron Schneider, hit .316 with nine kills. The Wildcats hit .301, which was the highest allowed by the Nittany Lions in their four postseason matches this season.

Set 1
Schwob tallied 12 assists while leading Penn State to .333 hitting in a 25-23 win in the opening set. Luoma led the way with six kills, Dittman contributed three, and Rose had two on two swings. Despite the close final score, the Nittany Lions never trailed after going up 3-1 with an early 3-0 run. The teams traded points from 17-17 all the way to 21-21. Penn State then went up 23-21 with a kill by Luoma and an ace by Schwob. The Wildcats scored the next two points to knot the score at 23-all. The Nittany Lions responded with a kill by Luoma and then took the set on a Daemen attack error.

Set 2
Schwob served for two more aces and led Penn State to .381 hitting in a 25-21 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions used a 3-0 run to go up 15-10 after Kuhns sandwiched a pair of kills around an ace by Schwob. They had their largest lead of the set at 17-11 after an ace by Kuhns and again at 18-12 following a Daemen service error. The Wildcats clawed their way back to tie the score at 21-all only to watch as the Nittany Lions closed the set with a 4-0 run. Luoma started the run with a kill and added another one after a Schwob ace. The set again ended on a Daemen attack error.

Set 3
Penn State hit .435 while closing the match with a 25-22 win in the third set. Luoma led the way with four kills on .571 hitting and had two of the team’s three aces. The Nittany Lions scored the first point on a block by Kuhns and Rose, and never trailed the rest of the way. They led by as much as six at 18-12 after going on a 3-0 run. Dittman started the run with a kill, which was followed by a pair of aces from Luoma. The Wildcats got as close as one at 21-20 and again at 22-21. Following a Daemen attack error, a Luoma kill made it 24-21. Daemen stopped the first chance at match point, but Penn State followed with a kill by Rose to get the sweep.

Career Highs
Matthew Luoma – aces (3)

Up Next
Penn State’s quarterfinal matchup against Hawaii is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. It will mark the seventh postseason match all-time between the Nittany Lions and Rainbow Warriors.

Having finished atop a field of 73 duos to win the City Section pairs title three days earlier, Samantha Lortie and Savannah Rozell were seeking an even bigger prize Friday afternoon in Santa Monica.

The Gondoliers’ No. 1 tandem swept its four matches to punctuate a perfect season and lead Venice to its first girls’ beach volleyball team championship, one that was capped by a 3-0 shutout of Taft in the finals.

Lortie and Rozell are also outside hitters on Venice’s indoor squad, which fell in a five-set thriller to Taft in the City Open Division title match last fall, though both acknowledge they like the beach game more.

“We had a drive to win pairs since we were runner-up last year, but winning this is equal because we love our teammates and we get to share this one with them,” said Rozell, a senior who started playing recreationally on the beach in 10th grade and did not take up indoor volleyball until her junior year.

“We only lost twice all last year, once in league to Palisades and in the pairs finals [to El Camino Real sisters Audrey and Addison Choi],” added Lortie, a junior who has played indoor since she was 10 and beach since she was 13.

Lortie and Rozell beat another El Camino Real duo, Aja Najar and Mackenzie Hazelton 28-20 in the pairs final Tuesday after escaping Taft’s Eva Velarde and Laila Braimah 28-24 in the semifinal round. On Friday, they found themselves facing Velarde and Braimah again with the team crown on the line and prevailed 21-18, 21-10. Lortie and Rozell did not drop a set all season.

Savannah Rozell (left) and Samantha Lortie won the City Section pairs tournament and three days later led Venice to its first girls’ beach volleyball team title.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“This is only our second year having a school beach team,” Lortie said. “We’d thought about playing together and when we tried out our coach [Charlie Styrbicki] agreed we’d be a good fit.”

Lortie clinched her team’s championship with a spike on match point moments after Venice’s No. 2 tandem of Catherine Campbell and Adelaide Groff completed their 21-10, 21-18 victory over Taft’s Francine Baltazar-Shine and Ionna Relorcasa one court over. Venice’s Kailyn Appling and Natalie Boothby beat Taft’s Jasmine Orellana and Nikita Luniv 21-15, 21-14 at the No. 3 position.

“For the first set we were adjusting to the wind,” Rozell said. “I kept getting aced on one side and depending on which end we served from we had to either put more on the ball or take a little off it.”

“By the second set we’d figured out what to do,” Lortie added.

Venice and Taft had split two regular-season meetings, both by 2-1 scores, so the Gondoliers’ No. 1 pair felt the pressure to set the tone for their team with the City title at stake.

Venice’s Samantha Lortie goes on the attack in the City beach volleyball team finals against Taft on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“Savannah has insane hustle and her ball placement is incredible,” Lortie said of her partner. “Whenever I think the ball’s going down, she somehow always gets it.”

“Samantha’s consistent, she’s always positive and she has a great swing,” Rozell reciprocated. “We complement each other well, we have good communication and we get along off the court too.”

Venice, seeded first in the 16-team bracket, eliminated No. 16 Simon Tech, No. 8 Grant and No. 5 Birmingham on its way to the final while the third-seeded Toreadors beat No. 14 Westchester, No. 6 El Camino Real and No. 2 Chatsworth.

Braimah’s block on championship point lifted Taft to the title over Venice in November and she and Velarde keyed Taft’s 2-1 semifinal upset on the sand Friday by besting the Chancellors’ top tandem of Samantha Sikorski and Laila Velu, 21-10, 21-14. Chatsworth had beaten Taft twice during the season.

“Third time’s the charm,” Toreadors coach Rene Lopez said.