The UCSD women’s volleyball team capped off a successful season by earning several honors, including junior setter and captain Teresa Ohta’s selection to the First Team All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II All-America Committee. Ohta joins 11 other players on the First Team All-America, including senior middle blocker Kim Morohunfola of Cal State San Bernardino and senior outside hitter Ania Ruiz of the University of Tampa, who are both now four-time All-Americans.

Ohta adds her First Team All-America selection to a notable collection of awards, including All-California Collegiate Athletic Association Second Team honors, Pacific Region Freshman of the Year and CCAA Freshman of the Year in 2001, and an All-Region Honorable Mention and All-CCAA First Team in her 2002 sophomore campaign. In addition, Ohta was voted on the 13-person All-CCAA First Team, the 12-person All-Pacific Region Team and the six-person Daktronics Pacific Region All-Star Second Team. Those voted to the Daktronics Pacific Region All-Star Teams include players in CCAA, Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Pacific West Conference.

Ohta, out of Whitney High School in Cypress, Calif., averaged 12.93 assists per game, which was second in CCAA, and she has consistently ranked in the top three in this category for CCAA in the past three seasons. Ohta had 1,345 assists for the 2003 season, making it 3,420 career-total assists in her 284 games for UCSD. She also led the team in digs last year and contributed her best ever 300 digs in the 2003 season, placing her third on the team in digs-per-game with 2.88.

“”[Ohta’s honors] are all very well deserved,”” UCSD women’s volleyball head coach Duncan McFarland said. “”She’s our team captain and a great leader. She deserved the honors for the adversity she faced during the season.””

According to McFarland, Ohta suffered from a sore wrist during the season and played with pain. Although she was unable to get an accurate diagnosis for her wrist and received conflicting advice about what to do (including casting it and quitting or just playing with pain), she opted to tape it up and play, leading her team to their 25-5 overall record, including a No. 1 ranking for the majority of the season.

Injury did not seem to stop Ohta’s teammates either, as junior outside hitter Bonnie Wilson was voted in the All-CCAA First Team. A fractured bone sidelined Wilson for two weeks during the season. Wilson, out of Campolindo High School in Moraga, Calif., is a Division I transfer out of University of New Hampshire. She also received honors in her first year with UCSD in the 2002 season, including All-CCAA First Team, First Team All-Pacific Region selection and the Tritons’ Most Valuable Player. Her team-leading 4.22 kills-per-game and 2.69 digs-per-game averages were enough for her First Team selection.

“”Similar to Teresa, Wilson was focused and played no less than 100 percent,”” McFarland said. “”I had to physically pull her off the court when she was injured because [she wanted to keep playing] despite her limping around.””

Although she missed regular season matches, Wilson was a solid player for UCSD, contributing 274 kills in 65 games this season.

Joining Ohta and Wilson on the All-CCAA First Team is junior middle blocker Kendra Canape. Canape, out of Brea Olinda High School in Brea, Calif., led UCSD in hitting percentage with .386 and blocks with 1.19 per game. These numbers also consistently ranked her in the top five in CCAA during the season. Canape had team-high 123 blocks in 103 games for the 2003 season.

“”Kendra is a multi-sport player. She came here having played basketball, high jump in track and volleyball in high school,”” McFarland said. “”She has really come into her own as a player this year. This season has helped her gain experience and develop as a middle blocker.””

Garnering All-CCAA Second Team honors are sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Crandell, junior outside hitter Stacy Dunsmore and junior middle blocker Katie Hogan.

Crandell, out of South Torrance High School in Torrance, Calif., is a transfer from Eastern Washington University who made the All-Tournament Team at the 2002 Big Sky Championship. The sophomore made her debut with the Tritons in 86 games this season, contributing 306 kills (3.56 kills per game) and 191 digs (2.22 digs per game).

“”Lindsay was not playing much at the beginning,”” McFarland said. “”But she was determined at getting play time. She is unique because she played as an outside hitter and an opposite. She’s a versatile player who would do anything we asked her to. She’s a good jumper ‹ explosive and quick ‹ and surprisingly one of our best hitters and a good blocker for being only [5 feet, 9 inches.]””

Dunsmore received her second All-CCAA Second Team honors of the season and her first All-Pacific Honorable Mention. She averaged 3.18 kills-per-game totaling to 302 kills in 95 games played, including 300 digs to average for 3.16 each game.

“”Stacy is our steadiest player, effective in hitting and at the net,”” McFarland said. “”She is a solid blocker, a good server and serve receive player. She had the best defense and no injuries during the season.””

Rounding out the honors is Hogan from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., selected to the All-CCAA Second Team for the second year in a row. In 104 games, Hogan added 275 kills, averaging 2.64 kills-per-game with a .344 hitting percentage. She was second on the team in blocks with 101, averaging 0.97 per game.

“”Similar to Kendra, Katie was not very polished when she first played here,”” McFarland said. “”She has gotten better each year and has steadily improved. Although she is quite small for a middle blocker [at 5 feet, 10 inches], she is a good jumper and makes up for her shorter height with her quickness.””

For the 2003 season, UCSD finished 25-5 overall and 19-3 in the CCAA, including a second place finish behind Cal State San Bernardino. Their successful season included a first time No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division II poll that they held for eight of the 13 weeks the poll was released during the season. The Tritons hosted the Division II Pacific Regional for the first time and suffered defeat from Hawaii Pacific in five games. UCSD finished off the year with a final No. 6 ranking in the AVCA poll. University of North Alabama took the NCAA Division II national crown on Dec. 6 over Concordia-St.Paul in San Bernardino, Calif.