Nov. 5, 2007

Hanna, Aoki Earn NWC’s Top Volleyball Honors

Beth Hanna

Gina Di Maggio

Pacific Lutheran dominated the 2007 Northwest Conference volleyball season and the postseason awards reflected that fact. Freshman outside hitter Beth Hanna (Clackamas, Ore. / Clackamas HS) earned Player of the Year honors and head coach Kevin Aoki was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his 12-year tenure.

Joining Hanna on the Northwest Conference First Team was senior setter Gina Di Maggio (Olympia, Wash. / Tumwater HS), while senior libero Megan Kosel (Puyallup, Wash. / Emerald Ridge HS) and senior outside hitter Stacie Matz (Tacoma, Wash. / Wilson HS) received second team recognition.

The Lutes, 23-3 this year and ranked No. 14 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll, rolled through their 16-game Northwest Conference slate without a defeat. In doing so, they became the first team to go undefeated in conference action since Puget Sound in 2000. The conference championship was PLU’s fourth since 1999, all coming under the direction of Aoki, who has compiled a 202-109 record at his alma mater.

Hanna, a two-time all-state player in Oregon, has had an outstanding first season of collegiate volleyball. In conference matches, she led all players in hitting percentage (.316), kills per game (5.87) and in total kills (311). She is also on pace to eclipse two school hitting records. She currently averages 5.36 kills per game, well ahead of the record of 5.01 kills per game set by Rachelle Snowdon in 1995. With 472 kills, she needs just 16 more kills to surpass the record of 486 set by Snowdon in 1993.

Di Maggio repeated as a first team All-Northwest Conference selection and is having her own record-setting season. Di Maggio finished NWC action with an average of 13.15 assists per game. She currently averages 12.02 assists per game for the season, ahead of the school record 11.56 assists per game she averaged as a freshman in 2004.

Kosel, who earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2004 and 2006, finished third among conference players in aces per game (0.53) and fifth in digs per game (5.08). An honorable mention all-conference choice last year, Matz finished fourth in the conference with an average of 4.40 kills per game.

The Lutes led the Northwest Conference in hitting percentage (.222), opponents hitting percentage (.105), kills per game (16.30) assists per game (14.79) and aces per game (2.77).

Aoki and his Lutes have earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division III West Region Tournament scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 8-10, in Hayward, Calif. The Lutes have a first-round bye and at 4:30 p.m. Friday will meet the winner of the Thursday afternoon match between No. 4 seed Puget Sound and No. 5 seed Nebraska Wesleyan. The region championship match is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday.

- PLU -