Seniors Kalei Mau and Penina Snuka have been named third-team AVCA All-Americans, the association announced on Wednesday.
TUCSON, Ariz. – Seniors Kalei Mau and Penina Snuka have been named third-team AVCA All-Americans, the association announced on Wednesday.
Snuka earned honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore and junior, but earned third-team recognition as a senior. This is Mau’s first All-America selection. Mau becomes the 10th All-American in Arizona history.
Snuka joins Kim Glass as the only two players in Arizona history to earn three All-America honors.
This marks the first time since 2014 the Wildcats have had two players earn All-America citations, when Madi Kingdon was a third-team All-American and Snuka was an honorable mention selection. The last time UA had two non-honorable-mention players was 2005 (Glass – 1st team, Jennifer Abernathy – 3rd team).
Snuka led the conference in total assists for the second straight year, totaling 1,307 assists during the regular season, helping her surpass the 5,000 career assist mark, just the second player in Arizona history, and 13th in the conference, to do so. Snuka averaged 10.77 assists and 3.02 digs per set while leading the team in service aces (35) this year. The senior had 21 double-doubles this year, tied for first in the Pac-12, marking the fourth year Snuka either led or tied for the league lead in double-doubles.
The Pac-12 Setter of the Year is second in Arizona history in both career assists (5,212) and career digs (1,610) and the all-time leader in sets played (489).
Mau, an all-region and all-conference performer, is second in the Pac-12 in kills/set (4.07). Mau, who battled injury all year, enjoyed a late-season surge to become one of the most effective hitters in the conference. Mau leaves Arizona sixth in Arizona history in career kills per set (3.68) and sixth in 20-plus-kill career matches (15).
The two seniors helped lead Arizona to a historical season in 2016 and cemented themselves as one of the best senior classes in school history. The duo aided the Cats to their eighth Sweet 16 and 15th 20-win season. Mau, Snuka and fellow seniors Laura Larson, McKenna Painton and Katarina Pilepic won 83 matches over their four years, more than any senior class since 2003 and went to four straight NCAA Tournaments, the first to do so since 2005.
