NATIONAL CHAMPION – VOLLEYBALL
Tita Ahuna
Tita Ahuna began her love for volleyball as a starting freshman on the Kamehameha Schools Girls Varsity team. Not only did she start as a freshman on the volleyball team, she also was on the basketball and softball teams. During her senior year she also had a chance to participate in Track & Field as a high jumper, but was unable to do so because track and basketball shared seasons.
Although her first love was basketball, she recognized that given her height, she may have more opportunities in volleyball. Thus began her days as a UH Rainbow Wahine. In 1987, Tita captained her team, defeating Stanford for the NCAA Division I National Championship.
The award that is most meaningful to Tita, that drives the passion she has for future student-athletes, is the Jack Bonham award. Awarded in 1988, she was recognized for her athletic excellence, academic achievement, public service, leadership, and character. Following her senior year, Tita competed on the USA National B Team in Zagreb, Croatia.
Ahuna began her coaching career as the Kamehameha Schools Boys Varsity Volleyball Head Coach where she led the Warriors to two state championships in just four years. She then went on to pursue her passion of volleyball as Head Coach and Senior Women’s Administrator at Hawaii Pacific University. As the head women’s volleyball coach, the team won two NCAA National Championship titles, one NCAA Pacific Region Championship, and four Pacific West Conference championships.
In 2000 she was recorded as the only coach in NCAA Division II history to win a perfect 28-0 season, a record she still holds. The same year that Coach Tita won the NCAA Division Il Coach of the Year award, she was also recognized as the only person in Hawaii volleyball history to win High School State Championships and National collegiate titles as both a player and a coach.
. 1998 & 2000 NCAA DII National Championship
. 2000 AVCA/NCAA DII National Coach of the Year
. 1998 AVCA/NCAA DII Pacific Region Coach of the Year
. 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 Pac West Coach of the Year
. 2000 Sportswoman of the Year, Honolulu Quarterback Club
In recent years, Ahuna has given back to the community that has supported her throughout her career. From 2009 – 2019, Tita established “TAVA,”(Tita Ahuna’s Volleyball Academy), where she and her team of coaches have supported hundreds of student-athletes through volleyball instruction and club competition. Today, Tita continues her athletic career as Athletic Director and Girls Varsity Volleyball Head Coach for Punahou School.
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