TWIN FALLS, Idaho - For the first time in the history of the NJCAA, there is a National Player of the Year and CSI's Airi Miyabe has her name on it. Miyabe is the 2018 Tachikara NJCAA Division I Player of the Year as well as the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year.
While it is a first to have a NJCAA Player of the Year, Miyabe follows a list of seven former Golden Eagles that have won AVCA Player of the Year.
In her two years at the College of Southern Idaho, Airi Miyabi has led the Golden Eagles to a NJCAA National Runner-Up finish and the 2018 NJCAA National Championship. As a freshman she helped the Golden Eagles to a 31-4 overall record and followed that up by helping CSI to a 31-2 overall record her sophomore season.
The outside hitter from Osaka, Japan earned Region 18 first-team honors, NJCAA All-American honors, AVCA All-American Second Team honors, Region 18 Tournament MVP honors and NJCAA National Tournament all-tournament honors as a freshman at CSI.
She was even better as a sophomore. Miyabi was the Region 18 Player of the Year, the NJCAA Player of the Year, NJCAA First Team All-American, AVCA First Team All-American, NJCAA National Tournament MVP and also was named to the Region 18 All-Tournament team.
She ranks sixth all time in the record books for kills at CSI with 807, fourth in kills per set with 3.82 and fifth in service reception percent at .954.
As a freshman, she averaged 3.38 kills per set and hit .294. She averaged .30 service aces per set, 2.59 digs per set and .38 blocks per set.
Her sophomore season she averaged 4.28 kills per set and hit .302. She also averaged 0.28 service aces per set, 2.86 digs per set and .55 blocks per set.

Here is a video of Miyabe receiving her AVCA Player of the Year award.

AVCA Player of the Year Video