The Greek connection will be friends for life after their UH experienceBy Jason Kaneshiro
5/2/23, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Setter Jakob Thelle, left, assistant coach Kupono Fey and outside hitter Chaz Galloway of the Hawaii volleyball team were greeted by fans outside Stan Sheriff Center before boarding the bus for the airport on Monday.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii outside hitter Spyros Chakas, left, and opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias reacted after the Warriors took the second set against Long Beach State on March 18.
Dimitrios Mouchlias and Spyros Chakas played together before making the trip from Greece to Hawaii for college and will likely join forces again as members of the national program.
But the duo left Manoa on Monday singularly focused on the opportunity awaiting in Virginia as they enter their final week as Rainbow Warriors teammates.
While Chakas has a year of eligibility remaining at UH, Mouchlias will complete his college career with the Warriors’ trip to Fairfax, Va., for the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship, thus closing a chapter in their journey together.
“I was going through pictures from last year and the first years we knew each other and it was emotional for sure knowing we want the best for each other,” Chakas said before Monday’s send-off at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
“It’s special just being so far away from home. Having someone you can be close with, to talk to, communicate with is very special, and I think you develop a special bond.”
Mouchlias joined the UH program for the 2020 season, preceding Chakas by a year. While Chakas contributed to the Warriors’ 2021 NCAA championship run, Mouchlias spent the abbreviated season back in Greece rehabbing from surgery. They finally shared the court in last season’s title defense and helped the Warriors earn the second seed in this week’s tournament at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena.
“I’m going to keep seeing Spyros on the national team every summer, or we can play on the same team professionally,” said Mouchlias, who plans to pursue his pro career after the season. “But it was really nice to have him here. I felt so much more comfortable having a fellow Greek here with me and he gives me motivation.”
Both members of UH’s Greek combination of pin hitters were among a program-record six Warriors to receive All-America recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday.
Mouchlias, an honorable mention pick last year, made the jump to the AVCA’s 12-player first-team All-America list and was joined by UH setter Jakob Thelle and middle blocker Guilherme Voss.
Chakas repeated as a second-team selection and outside hitter Chaz Galloway and libero Brett Sheward were named honorable mention.
UH’s total marked the highest in program history, surpassing the previous record of five honorees in 2015, ’18, ’19 and ’21.
But the individual accolades were far from the focus as the Warriors gathered for their bus ride to the airport.
“Like Coach Charlie (Wade) says, the individual awards in a team sport is kind of an oxymoron,” Chakas said. “It just shows how good the team is. … Individual awards will come and go, but we have only one goal as a team.”
Mouchlias echoed that sentiment, saying his selection “doesn’t really matter to me,” after a regular season in which he led the Big West with 3.96 kills per set on .397 hitting. He improved in both categories after averaging 3.59 kps while hitting .354 last season.
“He got stronger, he committed to being better out of system, and playing with (Greece’s) senior national team all summer helped a lot,” Wade said. “Just another year older, smarter and more confident. There’s a few things he’s bought into that I’ve asked him to pay more attention to, and they’ve helped with his efficiency.”
Chakas averages 3.50 kills and 1.60 digs per set, both good for second on the team, and leads UH with 34 service aces.
Thelle, the two-time Big West Player of the Year, made the AVCA first team for the second straight year and enters the NCAA Tournament leading the nation with 10.73 assists per set for an attack hitting a collective .373. Voss ranks fifth nationally with 1.16 blocks per set while hitting .556 and moved up after making the second team last year.
Galloway averaged 3.00 kills per set while hitting .389 in Big West play and Sheward ranks 10th in the nation with 2.13 digs per set.
The Warriors are scheduled to arrive in Fairfax this morning and plan to scout today’s quarterfinal match between Penn State and Ohio State. They’ll take on the winner in a semifinal match on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on ncaa.com.
“It is a long trip, but we are so excited for this tournament that I don’t think anybody is thinking about it,” Mouchlias said. “We just want to get there and compete.”
UCLA freshman setter Andrew Rowan was named the AVCA Newcomer of the Year.
The AVCA Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year awards will be announced today and the National Player of the Year will be named on Wednesday.
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPAt EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
Today’s matches (ESPN3)
Long Beach State (20-4) vs. Grand Canyon (20-7), 11 a.m.>> Conferences: LBSU: Big West; GCU: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
>> NCAA RPI: LBSU: 4; GCU: 5
>> Coaches: LBSU: Alan Knipe (20th year); GCU: Matt Werle (eighth year)
AVCA All-Americans
>> LBSU: L Mason Briggs (first team), Opp Clarke Godbold (second), OH Spencer Olivier (second), OH Sotiris Siapanis (second), MB Simon Torwie (second), MB Shane Holdaway (HM), S Aidan Knipe (HM)
>> GCU: OH Jackson Hickman (second), RS Camden Gianni (HM), OH Christian Janke (HM), S Nicholas Slight (HM), MB Rico Wardlow (HM)
MatchupOfficially designated by the NCAA as an “Opening Round” match, but effectively a quarterfinal, the bracket’s two at-large selections meet for the right to face top-seeded UCLA in Thursday’s semifinal round. The Beach and Lopes were swept in the semifinals of their conference tournaments, but had built strong enough resumes to extend their seasons in Virginia. The Beach went 9-1 in the Big West regular season to share the title with Hawaii and will make their 13th NCAA tournament appearance against a GCU team making its debut in the event. The Lopes won their first 14 matches but lost six of their last eight. Nicholas Slight (10 assists per set) directs a GCU attack hitting .348 led by Jackson Hickman’s 3.06 kills per set on .343 hitting. LBSU counters with a defense ranked second in country with 2.83 blocks per set led by national leader Simon Torwie (1.60 bps), while libero Mason Briggs anchors the back row.
Penn State (26-3) vs. Ohio State (23-9), 1:30 p.m.>> Conferences: PSU: Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association; OSU: Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
>> NCAA RPI: PSU: 2; OSU: 6
>> Coaches: PSU: Mark Pavlik (29th year); OSU: Kevin Burch (fourth year)
AVCA All-Americans
>> PSU: S Cole Bogner (first), MB Toby Ezeonu (first), RS Cal Fisher (second), OH Michal Kowal (HM), L Ryan Merk (HM), MB Owen Rose, OH Brett Wildman (HM).
>> OSU: OH Jacob Pasteur (first), RS Shane Wetzel (HM), MB Cole Young (HM).
MatchupA little more than a week after claiming the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge title in a three-team tiebreaker, Penn State rose to No. 1 in the AVCA poll on March 20. The Nittany Lions’ reign effectively ended the next day when then-No. 15 Ohio State avenged an opening-week loss to Penn State with a five-set upset in Happy Valley. Opposite Shane Wetzel led the Buckeyes with 15 kills and Jacob Pasteur added 12 to overcome Penn State opposite Cal Fisher’s 19-kill performance on .500 hitting. They’ll meet again for “the Big Ten championship,” as Ohio State coach Kevin Burch put it on Monday, and a matchup with second-seeded Hawaii on Thursday. Ohio State knocked off Ball State for the MIVA’s automatic bid and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Buckeyes, who claimed the title in 2016 and ’17, earned a rematch with Penn State with a sweep of King (Tenn.) in the tournament opener on Sunday to run their winning streak to 12. Penn State had a bye into the quarterfinal and has won eight straight since the loss to OSU, claiming the EIVA title a year after an upset in the conference tournament cost the Nittany Lions an NCAA berth.
