Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Fonoti Joins Volleyball Staff
February 22, 2022 04:30 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –?West Virginia University volleyball coach Reed Sunaharaannounced the hiring of Fiona Fonoti as assistant coach on Tuesday.
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Most recently a four-year assistant at Iowa State, Fonoti will assist with the team's daily training sessions and match preparations.
"I want to welcome Fiona and her family to Morgantown," coach Sunahara said. "She comes to WVU with high recommendations. I've watched her play at Nebraska and Coach at Iowa State and was very impressed with her. She brings a wealth of knowledge with a high volleyball IQ and is good with people. She will tutor our setters and be in charge of our offense. I'm looking forward to working with her and the value that she'll add to our program."
"I would like to thank Shane Lyons, Greg Featherston, Reed Sunahara and the entire volleyball staff for welcoming me into the Mountaineer family," Fonoti said.
While at Iowa State, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native helped work with ISU's defensive specialists and liberos. In 2021, Fonoti helped Marija Popovic lead the Big 12 in digs per set (4.53) which helped her earn Big 12 Libero of the Year, First Team All-Big 12, AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team and Volleyball Magazine-All American honors. In 2020, she also helped Izzy Enna lead the Big 12 in digs per set (4.37) and earn AVCA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention.
During her first two seasons in Ames, Fonoti helped train and develop Piper Mauck in the setting position. Mauck earned All-Big 12 Second Team and AVCA All-Midwest Region Team honors in 2019. In 2018, Mauck led the Big 12 with 11.22 assists per set and earned AVCA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention recognition. ISU's .253 team hitting percentage in 2018 was the third-best in program history.
Prior to ISU, Fonoti was an assistant varsity girls coach at Punahou School in Honolulu as well as a personal setter coach at the Elite Setting Academy in Pearl City, Hawaii. Fonoti also spent time coaching at Pearl City High School and McKinley High School. She also spent six years as a lead coach for the Lil Spiker Academy.
As a setter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, (Fiona Nepo) became a three-time All-Big 12 First Team and three-time AVCA All-American from 1996-98, culminating in being the Big 12 Player of the Year as well as a finalist for the NCAA Player of the Year and Honda Broderick Awards. After her career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Fiona moved back to Hawaii where she became a Math teacher with the Hawaii Dept. Of Education for 14 years.
Fiona and her husband Chris have five children: Savion, Sylus, Serania, Sideon and S'hani.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit?WVUsports.com?and follow WVUVolleyball on?Twitter,?Instagram?and?Facebook.
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Most recently a four-year assistant at Iowa State, Fonoti will assist with the team's daily training sessions and match preparations.
"I want to welcome Fiona and her family to Morgantown," coach Sunahara said. "She comes to WVU with high recommendations. I've watched her play at Nebraska and Coach at Iowa State and was very impressed with her. She brings a wealth of knowledge with a high volleyball IQ and is good with people. She will tutor our setters and be in charge of our offense. I'm looking forward to working with her and the value that she'll add to our program."
"I would like to thank Shane Lyons, Greg Featherston, Reed Sunahara and the entire volleyball staff for welcoming me into the Mountaineer family," Fonoti said.
While at Iowa State, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native helped work with ISU's defensive specialists and liberos. In 2021, Fonoti helped Marija Popovic lead the Big 12 in digs per set (4.53) which helped her earn Big 12 Libero of the Year, First Team All-Big 12, AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team and Volleyball Magazine-All American honors. In 2020, she also helped Izzy Enna lead the Big 12 in digs per set (4.37) and earn AVCA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention.
During her first two seasons in Ames, Fonoti helped train and develop Piper Mauck in the setting position. Mauck earned All-Big 12 Second Team and AVCA All-Midwest Region Team honors in 2019. In 2018, Mauck led the Big 12 with 11.22 assists per set and earned AVCA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention recognition. ISU's .253 team hitting percentage in 2018 was the third-best in program history.
Prior to ISU, Fonoti was an assistant varsity girls coach at Punahou School in Honolulu as well as a personal setter coach at the Elite Setting Academy in Pearl City, Hawaii. Fonoti also spent time coaching at Pearl City High School and McKinley High School. She also spent six years as a lead coach for the Lil Spiker Academy.
As a setter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, (Fiona Nepo) became a three-time All-Big 12 First Team and three-time AVCA All-American from 1996-98, culminating in being the Big 12 Player of the Year as well as a finalist for the NCAA Player of the Year and Honda Broderick Awards. After her career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Fiona moved back to Hawaii where she became a Math teacher with the Hawaii Dept. Of Education for 14 years.
Fiona and her husband Chris have five children: Savion, Sylus, Serania, Sideon and S'hani.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit?WVUsports.com?and follow WVUVolleyball on?Twitter,?Instagram?and?Facebook.
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