IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West Conference announced its all-conference awards for beach volleyball on Tuesday as voted by the league coaches with five Rainbow Wahine earning recognition. Among the honorees was Kiera Cornman who took home one of the major awards as the Big West Freshman of the Year.

Besides Freshman of the Year honors Cornman also earned spots on the all-Big West second team as well as the all-freshman team. Cornman is the sixth Rainbow Wahine to earn Freshman of the Year honors and first since Amber Igiede in 2021.

Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile were named to the first team, while Emily Heintzelman and Sydney Miller gained honorable mention. 
 
Lawrenz and Stedile, who played together collegiately for the first time after first teaming up in their native Brazil as youth players, enjoyed a stellar campaign together as the BeachBows' top pair. They were the only UH duo to appear in every match together with all but four coming at the No. 1 flight. The duo finished 23-8 overall, including an impressive 21-7 at the top of the order where they faced elite pairs from more than a dozen nationally ranked teams. Lawrenz, a graduating senior, also earned all-Big West honorable mention last season. 

First-year BeachBows Corman and Heintzelman, meanwhile earned recognition after playing the majority of the season together, including each of the final 20 matches. Heintzelman, a graduate transfer from Tulane, went 20-8 overall and had the third-best win percentage of the team (.714). 

Cornman, meanwhile, had an impressive debut as a true freshman, finishing the season 19-11. Among the wins was a dramatic three-set victory over Mallory LaBreche and Hannah Fleming to clinch UH's season-opening upset of the top-ranked UCLA. 

For Miller, it marked the third time in her four-year career she gained all-Big West recognition. She previously earned honorable mention in her freshman and sophomore campaigns. The native of San Diego, played in all 33 matches, accumulating 20 wins which was tied for third on the team. Miller played with four different partners and sported a winning record with all of them. 

The Rainbow Wahine concluded their season with a 19-14 mark under first-year head coach Danny Alvarez, getting back on the winning ledger after the program's first losing record last season.