Hawaii 2023

[kahusancali]

[kahusancali]

Per UH MVB Facebook page, Facebook live with Thelle and Dimi tomorrow(Wednesday) at 2 pm HST

[Cubicle No More ...]

[Cubicle No More ...]

I missed this article from the weekend. A good one on Voss ... there hasn't been too many profiles on him, so it was nice to see this one.

**********

Guilherme Voss demands attention from both opponents and community

By Jason Kaneshiro
April 30, 2023, Honolulu Star-Advertiser


JAMM AQUINO / [e-mail]
Hawaii middle blocker Guilherme Voss converts more than half of his attacks.


GEORGE F. LEE / [e-mail]
Hawaii’s Guilherme Voss took his swing against UC San Diego earlier this month.



Guilherme Voss exerts an undeniable influence on the court whether the ball comes his way or not.

Recognizable in the community, the attention the 6-foot-7 University of Hawaii middle blocker commands at the net factors heavily into the Rainbow Warrior volleyball team’s attack.

Well established as a dynamic attacker and one of the nation’s leading blockers over his first three seasons of collegiate volleyball, Voss’ reputation forces opponents to account for him on his turns through the front row. So a shift along the net or a jump in the middle can open seams for the Warriors’ attacks on the pins or out of the back row.

“I love it,” Voss said of those occasions when he serves as a decoy. “Having the middle jump on me and then they set the bic (back-row quick), especially where you see their middle’s face going, ‘Aw, damn,’ that’s almost as rewarding as getting the kill yourself.”

When UH setter Jakob Thelle does feed the middle, Voss has converted at a career-high .556 hitting percentage, with 157 kills against 23 errors this season while repeating as a first-team All-Big West selection.

Defensively, Voss ranks fifth nationally with 1.16 blocks per set as the top-ranked Warriors continue their quest for a third straight national championship this week in Fairfax, Va.

“There’s nights when it looks like he didn’t get set that much, but when he’s taking blockers with him we’re just going to set it the other way,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “So he really does impact the game.

“As a blocker, his hands are always near the ball, he’s an instinctual blocker and he and Jakob have developed a great chemistry.”

The Big West champion Warriors are scheduled to depart on Monday for the program’s ninth appearance in the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship.

While second-seeded UH (28-2) has a bye into Thursday’s semifinals, tournament play begins today with Ohio State facing King (Tenn.) in an opening-round match at EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University. The winner takes on Penn State on Tuesday, with that survivor facing UH on Thursday.

The overnight flight will be the Warriors’ second journey to the East Coast this season, but it figures to be far shorter than trips home for UH’s contingent of international players, including the Brazil-born Voss.

Voss’ family spent four years in Sugarland, Texas, before moving back to Rio de Janeiro, where he got his introduction to volleyball on the beach.

Once he took up the indoor game, he rose through Brazil’s national program and earned a starting spot on the country’s under-21 team as a 19-year-old.

“You’re talking about a country that loves volleyball and has a a lot of real high-level players and a great professional league and great national team,” Wade said. “For a guy like that to be starting on that kind of team says a lot about his level of play.”

He reached out to the UH coaching staff after researching U.S. colleges that could fulfill his interests in engineering as well as volleyball. Sight lines similar to those back home certainly didn’t hurt the Warriors’ recruiting pitch.

“The weather and environment in general were very attractive for me,” said Voss, who has a green card that allows him to enter into name, image and likeness arrangements not available to most international student-athletes. “Just having it be a similar situation to Rio where it’s mountains, beaches and sunshine.”

Voss immediately broke into a veteran lineup in 2020, starting 14 matches in the abbreviated season, and teamed with All-America middle Patrick Gasman in UH’s first national title run in 2021.

As the Warriors pursue a third title led by a senior class that includes fellow starters in Thelle, opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias and middle Cole Hogland as well as outside hitters Kana’i Akana, Filip Humler and Devon Johnson, Voss senses a similar vibe to the 2021 season, “where the super seniors came back and the whole mentality was, ‘Let’s get this for them.’ … It adds that little bit of motivation.”

Voss was named to the AVCA All-America second team last season, when he ranked second in the nation with 1.37 blocks per set while hitting .482 in UH’s second straight national title.

An academic All-Big West selection the past two years, Voss is on track to complete his engineering degree next May and plans to return to UH for his fifth season of volleyball eligibility.

“Those kinds of guys are so valuable,” Wade said. “They’re professional men, he’s played a high level, there’s never any drama, he takes care of school, takes care of everything he has to.

“He makes my life easier. You can never have too many guys like that.”

Voss plans to pursue professional volleyball following graduation, but the islands’ influence figures to draw him back to Hawaii down the line.

“It’s literally my second home,” Voss said. “Because the people are just so welcoming here and made us a part of their family.”

[Cubicle No More ...]

UH’s Milan Zarkovic named AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year

By Jason Kaneshiro
5/3/23, Honolulu Star-Advertiser


JASON KANESHIRO / [e-mail]
UH assistant coaches Milan Zarkovic and Kupono Fey flashed smiles and shakas Tuesday at EagleBank Arena in the George Mason campus in Fairfax, Va. Zarkovic came to UH as an assistant in 2013, the same year Fey entered as a freshman.



FAIRFAX, Va. >> When he has time away from the office or gym, Milan Zarkovic often unwinds by piecing together bits of aluminum or plastic into a work of art.

After a couple of months, the meticulous process will produce a colorful mosaic, each element contributing to a defined image.

The methodology crosses over into his work on the volleyball court, where he’s helped University of Hawaii head coach Charlie Wade build the Rainbow Warrior program into a two-time national champion with designs on a third title this week.

“You take all the small pieces and you see maybe the smallest can make a difference in the eye, can make the difference in the expression of the face,” Zarkovic said of creating mosaics.

When he works with players, he looks for those perhaps small pieces that “will be the best for them that shows in time and competition.”

Now in his 10th year on the UH coaching staff, Zarkovic work was recognized for his work Tuesday when he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time.

Like the UH players who have received conference and national honors over the past two weeks, Zarkovic appreciated the recognition but remains focused on the Warriors’ title defense.

“We are teaching these guys to be part of the collective of the group,” said Zarkovic, who also won the award in 2020.

The award was announced as the Warriors arrived in Virginia for the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship. After the overnight trek, the Warriors got their first look inside EagleBank Arena to scout Tuesday’s quarterfinal match between Penn State and Ohio State.

While the players headed back to the hotel during the match, Zarkovic and fellow UH assistant coach Kupono Fey watched the entirety of Penn State’s 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24 win to set up a rematch with UH.

The Nittany Lions (27-3) handed the Warriors (28-2) their first loss of the season in four sets in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational on March 10 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. They’ll meet again in the 1:30 p.m. match on Thursday with a spot in Saturday’s national championship match on the line.

“Very excited to have a rematch,” Fey said. “Every single NCAA tournament I’ve been in (2015 and ’17) we’ve played Penn State. So it feels like normal to see them in the NCAAs.”

Fey was entering his freshman year at UH in 2013 when Zarkovic joined the coaching staff with his son, Sinisa, on the roster as an outside hitter. Zarkovic had been a successful coach on the national level in Serbia and his influence and presence were evident as soon as he entered the gym.

“Just super friendly, super passionate and super knowledgeable with totally different drills than what we were used to,” Fey said of his first impressions of Zarkovic. “Everybody in the country was doing the same drills and he came in with a totally different concept and a very creative approach and it really expanded our learning process and made us into better players.”

Fey, who went on to play professionally after college, was part of the 2015 team that ended a 13-year NCAA Tournament drought and helped set the foundation for the program’s elevation to its current status.

Likewise, Zarkovic said he has continued to develop his coaching style and methods over his decade in his adopted volleyball home.

“We say it’s not for the people (of Hawaii), it’s because of the people,” Milan said of the program’s mantra. “My son recognized this and he was the first one who invited me (to Hawaii).

“I trust Charlie Wade and I sent my son and then I came to help other kids. Siki finished in 2016 and (seven) years after I’m still here.”

UCLA’s John Speraw was named the AVCA Coach of the Year after leading the Bruins to a perfect run to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament.

The AVCA will announce the National Player of the Year award today.

Quarterfinals

Penn State 3, Ohio State 1

Cal Fisher, a second-team All-American, put away 18 kills with two errors in 30 swings and served up three of Penn State’s 10 aces to lead the Nittany Lions past the Buckeyes 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24 and into Thursday’s matchup with Hawaii.

Michal Kowal added nine kills on .500 hitting and three aces and middle blocker Owen Rose was in on eight of Penn State’s 13 blocks.

Ohio State (23-10) had a chance to force a fifth set, leading 24-23 in the fourth. But a service error forced deuce, Fisher drilled an ace to give Penn State match point and the Nittany Lions advanced on Ohio State’s 24th attack error.

Shane Wetzel led Ohio State with 29 kills and Jacob Pasteur finished with 16 kills against 14 errors.

Long Beach State 3, Grand Canyon 1

Beach middle blocker Simon Torwie put down 10 kills in 11 error-free attacks and was in on eight blocks to lead LBSU (21-4) past the Lopes 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23 and into a semifinal matchup with top-seeded UCLA.

Opposite Clarke Godbold led LBSU with 13 kills and outside hitter Spencer Olivier added 12 kills and 10 digs. Sotiris Siapanis sat out the first set after feeling ill in the days leading up to the match. He started the second set and put away 12 kills in a team-high 27 attacks.

Camden Gianni led GCU (22-7) with 18 kills on 43 swings and Jackson Hickman finished with 13.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Dave Reardon: Hawaii needs commission dedicated to sports

By Dave Reardon
5/3/23, Honolulu Star-Advertiser


A little bit of home away from home can be a good thing, especially when you’re from Hawaii.

Just ask the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team. Judging from roaring crowd support and the massive number of ti leaves waved at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., it seemed like the Big West championship tournament was at UH’s Stan Sheriff Center.

Wait a second — make that the “2023 OUTRIGGER Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, presented by the Hawaiian Islands.”

If the ESPNU announcers working the final match forgot to mention the Hawaii hotel chain as the sponsor, no worries … Outrigger signage at the arena got plenty of camera time. So did the ti-leaf-waving UH fans.

The Warriors probably would have won even without the familiar faces and voices and good luck charms.

But it certainly didn’t hurt their chances, and when you’re competing in the conference that is to men’s volleyball what the SEC is to football, you’ll take every edge you can get.

Even if UH hadn’t won the tournament final, the two-time defending national championships would still have advanced to the NCAAs this week in Virginia. But if the Warriors had lost, they wouldn’t have a bye into Thursday’s semifinals — and that really helps.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority helped facilitate the conference’s partnership with Outrigger, and also worked with the UH Alumni Association to stage a pre-tournament rally. The Big West has also partnered with the HTA for the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

“As an official Corporate Partner of the Big West through 2023, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority will be able to showcase the Hawaiian Islands through a host of partnership assets across the Conference’s broadcast, print, digital and social platforms as well as in-venue signage,” according to a Big West news release in January 2021.

State Sen. Glenn Wakai, vice chair of the Senate’s committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, said this was an example of how UH sports can help the visitor industry — and vice versa.

“It was smart to partner with Outrigger and promote both entities,” Wakai said. “Outrigger was a big sponsor. LA is the largest Hawaii tourism market, one that we would always want to activate.”

Sports tourism is just one piece of the HTA’s responsibility pie, but it is a significant one — and at times it has been tasty, helping bring in or keep events like PGA and LPGA golf and NFL preseason football games. The Big West venture seems like it’s a win-win-win, and many fans want more-more-more support for UH sports.

But what if there is no HTA?

Its continued existence is in limbo, at best. A bill in the Legislature to eliminate it was deferred by the Senate last week. But the HTA’s future remains very much in question.

Lawmakers have proposed a new state agency instead, which would focus on “destination management” more than marketing.

The HTA has been associated with plenty of sports event difficulties (Pro Bowl problems, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team cancellation, Maria Sharapova no-show — to name a few).

How much blame it deserves for any or all of it depends upon with whom you talk.

It is also very debatable if a replacement tourism entity under more direct control of the state would do a better job.

But one dedicated exclusively to sports — whether public, private or somewhere in between — might have a better chance of success. If the idea of a state sports commission had been taken more seriously eight years ago we might not be in the mess we’re in now.

“HTA has done a respectable job in handling some of these (sports) events,” said then-Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, after the soccer flap in late 2015. “But if Hawaii really wants to be serious about being known as a place that handles these events and with first-class facilities, we need a commission that is dedicated to sports. Sports is kind of an add-on to HTA.”

[woozie808]

While we wait for the semifinals, a look back at the regular season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Crx9zy0uj4z

Go Bows!

[ManapuaSurprise]

May 3, 2023 14:31:28 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

Dave Reardon: Hawaii needs commission dedicated to sports

By Dave Reardon
5/3/23, Honolulu Star-Advertiser


A little bit of home away from home can be a good thing, especially when you’re from Hawaii.

Just ask the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team. Judging from roaring crowd support and the massive number of ti leaves waved at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., it seemed like the Big West championship tournament was at UH’s Stan Sheriff Center.

Wait a second — make that the “2023 OUTRIGGER Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, presented by the Hawaiian Islands.”

If the ESPNU announcers working the final match forgot to mention the Hawaii hotel chain as the sponsor, no worries … Outrigger signage at the arena got plenty of camera time. So did the ti-leaf-waving UH fans.

The Warriors probably would have won even without the familiar faces and voices and good luck charms.

But it certainly didn’t hurt their chances, and when you’re competing in the conference that is to men’s volleyball what the SEC is to football, you’ll take every edge you can get.

Even if UH hadn’t won the tournament final, the two-time defending national championships would still have advanced to the NCAAs this week in Virginia. But if the Warriors had lost, they wouldn’t have a bye into Thursday’s semifinals — and that really helps.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority helped facilitate the conference’s partnership with Outrigger, and also worked with the UH Alumni Association to stage a pre-tournament rally. The Big West has also partnered with the HTA for the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

“As an official Corporate Partner of the Big West through 2023, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority will be able to showcase the Hawaiian Islands through a host of partnership assets across the Conference’s broadcast, print, digital and social platforms as well as in-venue signage,” according to a Big West news release in January 2021.

State Sen. Glenn Wakai, vice chair of the Senate’s committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, said this was an example of how UH sports can help the visitor industry — and vice versa.

“It was smart to partner with Outrigger and promote both entities,” Wakai said. “Outrigger was a big sponsor. LA is the largest Hawaii tourism market, one that we would always want to activate.”

Sports tourism is just one piece of the HTA’s responsibility pie, but it is a significant one — and at times it has been tasty, helping bring in or keep events like PGA and LPGA golf and NFL preseason football games. The Big West venture seems like it’s a win-win-win, and many fans want more-more-more support for UH sports.

But what if there is no HTA?

Its continued existence is in limbo, at best. A bill in the Legislature to eliminate it was deferred by the Senate last week. But the HTA’s future remains very much in question.

Lawmakers have proposed a new state agency instead, which would focus on “destination management” more than marketing.

The HTA has been associated with plenty of sports event difficulties (Pro Bowl problems, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team cancellation, Maria Sharapova no-show — to name a few).

How much blame it deserves for any or all of it depends upon with whom you talk.

It is also very debatable if a replacement tourism entity under more direct control of the state would do a better job.

But one dedicated exclusively to sports — whether public, private or somewhere in between — might have a better chance of success. If the idea of a state sports commission had been taken more seriously eight years ago we might not be in the mess we’re in now.

“HTA has done a respectable job in handling some of these (sports) events,” said then-Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, after the soccer flap in late 2015. “But if Hawaii really wants to be serious about being known as a place that handles these events and with first-class facilities, we need a commission that is dedicated to sports. Sports is kind of an add-on to HTA.”

TL;DR - One sentence mentioning a sports commission and mostly an HTA fluff piece

[Cubicle No More ...]

May 3, 2023 15:12:35 GMT -5 ManapuaSurprise said:

May 3, 2023 14:31:28 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

Dave Reardon: Hawaii needs commission dedicated to sports

By Dave Reardon
5/3/23, Honolulu Star-Advertiser


A little bit of home away from home can be a good thing, especially when you’re from Hawaii.

Just ask the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team. Judging from roaring crowd support and the massive number of ti leaves waved at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., it seemed like the Big West championship tournament was at UH’s Stan Sheriff Center.

Wait a second — make that the “2023 OUTRIGGER Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, presented by the Hawaiian Islands.”

If the ESPNU announcers working the final match forgot to mention the Hawaii hotel chain as the sponsor, no worries … Outrigger signage at the arena got plenty of camera time. So did the ti-leaf-waving UH fans.

The Warriors probably would have won even without the familiar faces and voices and good luck charms.

But it certainly didn’t hurt their chances, and when you’re competing in the conference that is to men’s volleyball what the SEC is to football, you’ll take every edge you can get.

Even if UH hadn’t won the tournament final, the two-time defending national championships would still have advanced to the NCAAs this week in Virginia. But if the Warriors had lost, they wouldn’t have a bye into Thursday’s semifinals — and that really helps.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority helped facilitate the conference’s partnership with Outrigger, and also worked with the UH Alumni Association to stage a pre-tournament rally. The Big West has also partnered with the HTA for the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

“As an official Corporate Partner of the Big West through 2023, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority will be able to showcase the Hawaiian Islands through a host of partnership assets across the Conference’s broadcast, print, digital and social platforms as well as in-venue signage,” according to a Big West news release in January 2021.

State Sen. Glenn Wakai, vice chair of the Senate’s committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, said this was an example of how UH sports can help the visitor industry — and vice versa.

“It was smart to partner with Outrigger and promote both entities,” Wakai said. “Outrigger was a big sponsor. LA is the largest Hawaii tourism market, one that we would always want to activate.”

Sports tourism is just one piece of the HTA’s responsibility pie, but it is a significant one — and at times it has been tasty, helping bring in or keep events like PGA and LPGA golf and NFL preseason football games. The Big West venture seems like it’s a win-win-win, and many fans want more-more-more support for UH sports.

But what if there is no HTA?

Its continued existence is in limbo, at best. A bill in the Legislature to eliminate it was deferred by the Senate last week. But the HTA’s future remains very much in question.

Lawmakers have proposed a new state agency instead, which would focus on “destination management” more than marketing.

The HTA has been associated with plenty of sports event difficulties (Pro Bowl problems, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team cancellation, Maria Sharapova no-show — to name a few).

How much blame it deserves for any or all of it depends upon with whom you talk.

It is also very debatable if a replacement tourism entity under more direct control of the state would do a better job.

But one dedicated exclusively to sports — whether public, private or somewhere in between — might have a better chance of success. If the idea of a state sports commission had been taken more seriously eight years ago we might not be in the mess we’re in now.

“HTA has done a respectable job in handling some of these (sports) events,” said then-Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, after the soccer flap in late 2015. “But if Hawaii really wants to be serious about being known as a place that handles these events and with first-class facilities, we need a commission that is dedicated to sports. Sports is kind of an add-on to HTA.”

TL;DR - One sentence mentioning a sports commission and mostly an HTA fluff piece

Is it really a 'fluff piece' if it's also critical of HTA?

[kahusancali]

Facebook live with thelle and Dimi in less than an hour!

[wahinefan]

Congrats to Jakob Thelle on winning the Player of the Year Award. Rightly deserved.

[kahusancali]

May 3, 2023 18:25:30 GMT -5 wahinefan said:

Congrats to Jakob Thelle on winning the Player of the Year Award. Rightly deserved.

Wow! Congrats to him . Announced before he’s about to go Facebook live. Perfect timing!

[babybacksets]

May 3, 2023 18:25:30 GMT -5 wahinefan said:

Congrats to Jakob Thelle on winning the Player of the Year Award. Rightly deserved.

To be honest I’m a little surprised considering his numbers because of the load management this season and just what he’s done in past seasons but he is the most experienced starter with the greatest amount of post season accomplishment in the field.



It should have been him last year but the NCAA was obsessed with the Nikolov hype

[Cubicle No More ...]

[Cubicle No More ...]

thelle's closing remarks at the end of the clip after hearing what wade had to say about him ... haha!