University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine outside hitter Jamie Houston earned Under Armour Volleyball magazine first-team All America honors, released in the February 2009 edition of Volleyball magazine. Houston, a second team AVCA All-American, was a two-time WAC Player of the Year. She led the team with a 4.05 kill per set average, adding 1.73 digs and 0.75 blocks per set. Houston also ended her career second in the career record books with 2,061 kills. Freshman Kanani Danielson was named to the All-America honorable mention list. Joining Houston on the All-America team is Honolulu native Tamari Miyashiro of Washington, who was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, Nicole Fawcett, Christa Harmotto, Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass of national champion Penn State, Foluke Akinradewo, Cynthia Barboza and Alix Klineman of Stanford, Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker of Texas, Jordan Larson of Nebraska and Hana Cutura of California. Fawcett and Akinradewo shared National Player of the Year honors with Nebraska’s John Cook earning National Coach of the Year. Florida’s Kelly Murphy was named the National Freshman of the Year. 

Pretty sloppy to start. CSUN has forged ahead 15-11. The question at the moment: Where is Gus Tuaniga? He was supposed to start but is nowhere to be seen.Tuaniga on the bench in street clothes. Will have to find out what’s up. CSUN wins Set 1 30-21  Warriors hanging in there. CSUN serving errors hurting them. UH wins Set 2 30-28.  Ace by Tanner Nua finishes out Set 3 for CSUN with the Matadors winning it 30-22. Vance with 22 kills for CSUN Brennon Dyer has 9 for UH and Walker 8.  Impressively Hawaii has tied it with a 30-23 win in Set 4. 28 kills for Vance, 14 for Dyer.  

Success hasn’t spoiled Davone Bess. The former UH great is in town after a great rookie season with the Miami Dolphins. But he’s taking nothing for granted, and promises to work even harder to continue to improve.Bess’ wife, Rachel, recently gave birth to the couple’s first child, 2-month old Kyra.”It was a wild year, a great year,” said Bess, who will be here in Hawaii for the next couple of weeks. He will appear Tuesday at The Willows for the Evening With Colt Brennan charity fundraiser.

Next week’s “An Evening With Colt Brennan” is turning into an evening with his receivers, too.Now we hear Ryan Grice-Mullins will be at the Willows for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraiser Tuesday, along with fellow former UH slotback Davone Bess. Tickets are still available for the Feb. 3 event. Call Kyle Nakayama at 952-9200. 

Had asked Clay for comments regarding his Circle of Honor induction. He was traveling the past few days and just got my email. thought it worthy of passing it along: I am really excited and proud to be honored this way. And especially to honored at home It  makes me feel great inside! I hope I am representing and doing Hawaii proud Thanks go to everyone for still thinking about me.  As of now I am still in Russia playing for the same team for the past 3 years (Renit) in the city of Kazan. Things are going good. Can’t complain! The team has treated Lloy (setter Ball) and me really well. If only we had a league back in the states, but what you gonna do? I plan on return to hawaii after the season.