Dave Shoji's memorable season became a bit more memorable yesterday when the Hawai'i coach was named West Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Four of his players earned all-region honors.

The honor makes Shoji, in his 35th year as Rainbow Wahine coach, eligible for national Coach of the Year honors. On Oct. 17, he became the second in his profession to reach 1,000 wins. His team is 30-2 and has won its last 26, including a 12th consecutive WAC championship.

Shoji was also West Coach of the Year in 2003, '04 and '05. He was 1982 national coach of the year, before regional awards began.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Wahine Kanani Danielson, Amber Kaufman, Aneli Cubi-Otineru and Dani Mafua added to their all-conference first-team volleyball credentials when they were selected to the AVCA All-West Region team.

They are now eligible for All-America honors.

Danielson, the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was a third-team All-American last season, along with All-West Freshman of the Year. The Kamehameha graduate leads Hawai'i this year with a kill average of 4.23 per set — 33rd nationally. She is hitting .337, 50 points higher than last season, and was the difference in last week's NCAA subregional, hitting .350-plus and collecting a third of Hawai'i's kills against New Mexico and USC.

"She's just so explosive," Shoji said. "She jumps faster and higher than you think and she's got a lightning arm swing. USC was just not ready for the pace of her ball, they couldn't dig it. And the block never got over on her because she was past it before they pressed over the net."

Cubi-Otineru, a Punahou graduate, is hitting .305, 45 points higher than last year. The senior has earned all-WAC first-team honors all three seasons and is two kills short of 1,000 for her career. She would be just the second Rainbow Wahine to reach 1,000 in three seasons, after Olympian and 1987 national player of the Teee Williams. Cubi-Otineru leads the team in aces (51) and is second in kills (3.11) and digs (2.51).

Like Danielson, she shares primary passing duties with libero Liz Ka'aihue. Even on a bad night, and Cubi-Otineru was clearly suffering from tired legs and a sore knee last week, her contributions are immense.

"She just has a lot of heart," Shoji said. "That kicked in because she was gassed, no doubt about it. There was not much in the tank. She's just one of those tough, tough kids."

Cubi-Otineru and Mafua, a junior setter out of Mid-Pacific Institute, were all-region and honorable mention All-Americans last season. Mafua has UH hitting .316 this season, third-best in the country. She is 11th nationally in assists (11.78).

Without her, the 'Bows are just another small team, getting blocked much more often. "Dani creates that opportunity for hitters," Shoji said. "About half their attempts are created by our offense where they have an advantage. The other half, they have to create their own kills."

Kaufman, a senior from San Jose, was an All-American in track and field last semester, finishing second in the NCAA high jump. Her physical attributes have transferred to volleyball, where she ranks fourth in the country in hitting percentage at .434. She is averaging 2.47 kills a set and is second to Cubi-Otineru in aces with 40. Kaufman has hit over .500 in nearly half Hawai'i's matches.

The Rainbow Wahine face Illinois in a NCAA Tournament regional semifinal tomorrow at 3 p.m. Hawai'i time at Stanford's Maples Pavilion.