A young US born Tongan, 'Ainise Havili (20) has been nominated by the University of Kansas for the “Big 12 Athlete of the Year Award” selected from 12 universities in five states.

Raised in Texas, 'Ainise is the daughter of Tongan immigrants Moses and Mele Havili. 'Ainise is a star volleyball player for her university and was a member of the 2016 United States College Volleyball team.

The “Big 12 Athlete of the Year” is a prestigious award given to college athletes voted with the best all round athletic, academic and citizenship performance. Candidates for the award are selected from 12 universities across five states (University of Kansas, Baylor University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas Christian University, University of Texas, Texas Tech University, West Virginia University).

According to the award organisers, 'Ainise was a keystone to the success of her University volleyball team ‘Jayhawks’ who made it to the semi-finals of the national championships and ended the year ranked  fourth in the US. 'Ainise was also a member of the United States Volleyball Collegiate Team that toured China this year.

Her 2015 honours include AVCA All-America First Team, Big 12 Setter of the Year, and NCAA Championship San Diego Regional MVP.