Two UH Pairs Earn AVCA Top Flight Status

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its 2024 AVCA Top Flight Award winners with two University of Hawai'i pairs making the list. The No. 4 tandem of Sydney Amiatu and Riley Wagoner earned the distinction, while Anna Maidment and Sydney Miller were recognized at the No. 5 flight.

This year marks the sixth class of the award which started in 2018 and is designed to recognize excellence in beach volleyball from all over the country and across all flights. In order for a pair to be eligible for the award, the two athletes must compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight number and win 75 percent of their matches at that flight.

Amiatau (R-Fr., Oceanside, Calif.) and Wagoner (Sr., Dublin, Ohio.), earned Top Flight for the first time after playing together in all but one match this season. The duo has played 27 of their 34 matches at the No. 4 court where they have gone a stellar 21-6 (.778). Among their wins was the dual match clincher at Long Beach State that sealed UH's first Big West title in six years.

Meanwhile, Maidment (Sr., Winnipeg, Canada) and Miller (So., San Diego, Calif.) gained Top Flight status at the No. 5 flight, where they won 80 percent of their matches this season (16-4). Since then the duo have slid up the lineup to the No. 3 spot and have still maintained the team's best overall win percentage (22-7, .759). It is the second time that each player has earned the honor at the No. 5 slot, though with different partners. Maidment gained the distinction in 2021 with Sofia Russo, while Miller did the same with Chandler Cowell last year.

UH now has 15 Top Flight citations since its inception with five coming in 2018, three in 2019, two in 2021, one in 2022, and two each in 2023 and 2024.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Sofia Russo: 6' 0"; Senior

#19 Chandler Cowell: 5' 10"; Senior

#14 Sydney Amiatu: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#6 Anna Maidment: 5' 11"; Senior

#11 Sydney Miller: 6' 0"; Sophomore

#10 Riley Wagoner: 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#13 Sofia Russo
: 6' 0"; Senior

#19 Chandler Cowell
: 5' 10"; Senior

#14 Sydney Amiatu
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#6 Anna Maidment
: 5' 11"; Senior

#11 Sydney Miller
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

#10 Riley Wagoner
: 6' 0"; Senior