If she were a sprinter, they would call Kaimi Rocha "Rocket Rocha" for the way she has rocketed on to the college volleyball scene.

Rocha, a 2008 Seabury Hall graduate from Pukalani, Maui, has been chosen Northwest Conference volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week the first two weeks of the season.

She won the NCAA Division III conference's top honor Sept. 1 after she was named Most Valuable Player of New York University's invitational tournament on Manhattan over Labor Day weekend. She led Whitworth, of Spokane, Wash., to four straight victories — losing only two sets en route — and the tournament championship.

On Monday, Rocha earned the honor again after she was selected on the all-tournament team of Whitworth's own invitational where she led the Pirates in kills and hitting percentage.

Whitworth is 6-2, its best start since 2005, and opponents don't just think they are seeing double after being rattled by Rocha rockets.

They are seeing double. Kaimi Rocha is joined in Whitworth's front line by her twin, Ka'ipo Rocha, who is an inch taller at 5-10 and plays middle blocker to Kaimi's outside hitter.

The Rochas dominate Whitworth's statistics after their first eight intercollegiate matches. Kaimi leads the Pirates in kills (3.46 per set) and hitting percentage (.281). She also has the fewest receiving errors (0.46 per set) and is third in digs with 2.46 per set.

Kaimi and Ka'ipo are tied for second in blocks with 11, and Kaimi is second in aces with 9.

That they and a third freshman from Seabury Hall, Alex Bolduc of Hana, are attending Whitworth is almost accidental.

All three were in Spokane in the spring of 2007, when they were juniors at Seabury, playing for the Hawaiian Style club team in the Junior Olympics Northwest Regional Qualifying Tournament at nearby Cheney, Wash.

It so happened that Whitworth was recruiting Kamehameha-Maui senior Nicole Smith, another Hawaiian Style team member, and Smith made a campus visit while she was in Spokane.

Hawaiian Style coach Al Paschoal drove the team's rented van, with the Rochas and Buldoc aboard, to Whitworth to pick up Smith.

"The first time I saw Whitworth I really liked the tall trees and warm feeling of the campus." Kaimi Rocha said.

The Rochas and Buldoc initiated reverse-recruiting, contacting Whitworth coach Steve Rupe to start the process that concluded with their enrollment this month.

"When I finally got to know the campus more," Kaimi Rocha said, "I realized that I love the soft grass and small community feeling.

Ironically, Smith matriculated at Pacific University in Oregon, where she is sitting out volleyball this season.

The Rochas are the first players from Hawai'i whom Rupe has coached in his 10-year career at Whitworth.

"Their skills as freshmen are as good as anybody in our conference, including the seniors," Rupe said.

"And they are such great young ladies, too."

Kaimi Rocha says the biggest adjustment to Division III college volleyball is the slower tempo on the Mainland than in Hawai'i.

Buldoc, who is 5-10, is improving and made the traveling squad for this weekend's trip to southern California (Cal Lutheran, Thousand Oaks) for another tournament.

Does Rupe want more Hawai'i players? "Definitely," the coach said, with emphasis.

SHORT SETS: Two other freshmen from Hawai'i were honorable mention volleyball Student-Athletes in the Northwest Conference this week. They were Linfield of Oregon outside hitter Samantha "Sam" Lau (Saint Francis) of Kailua and Pacific of Oregon middle blocker Kelsy Takashima (Moloka'i) of Kaunakakai. Lau ranks just behind Kaimi Rocha in conference hitting percentage, in fifth place at .281 and 3.0 kills per set. Takashima has 14 blocks in 28 sets.