BYU Hawaii Seasiders Win U.S. Women’s Volleyball Title

Members of the women’s volleyball team from Brigham Young University—Hawaii set and spiked their way to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship, one of the divisions for four-year colleges in the United States. This is the team’s second consecutive year claiming the title and its fourth title in five years.

The Seasiders—who were ranked number one from the beginning of the year—won the title by beating the University of Puget Sound. Three team members were named to the all-tournament team, and senior Anik Valiengo, who played in more winning games than any other starter in the school’s history, was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

While in San Diego, where the team traveled for the tournament, the Seasiders held a fireside for members of the San Diego California Stake. The meeting focused on the team’s theme for the trip, “What would Christ do?”

In addition to singing a medley of songs, team members spoke, sharing feelings of gratitude. “There are more important things than winning championships,” said Coach Wilfred Navalta during the meeting. “The feeling you feel tonight is the Spirit telling you the things you heard are true. The Spirit is more important than anything you can earn on the athletic court. That’s because the Spirit is eternal and testifies of Christ.”