1. The Weekend of Resume Building. UH was 4-1 versus the Top 20 going into the Outrigger, and had also won twice against a team that was getting votes. However, Emmanuel, Tusculum, and Missouri S&T were among the non-conference opponents the Bows faced, raising questions about whether they had prepared them for the demanding field that was the 28th Outrigger Volleyball Invitational. UH proved it was ready in the first set on the first night against Lewis, winning 25-9 with a.765 hitting effort. Once the Bows defeated the Flyers, ranked 14th, 3-0, they were prepared to defend their home court against Grand Canyon, ranked first. In route to a commanding 3-0 victory over the Lopes, UH prevailed in the serve/pass contest. An adversary in the conference and No.5 UC Irvine snapped UH’s 24-set win streak by taking the first set, but the Bows battled back to win sets two and three. Hawai`i earned their 4th top-5 win with the 5-set win over the Anteaters in the first of three, maybe four, possibly five matchups in 2024. In the Invitational that spanned four days, UH went 3-0 against teams ranked inside the top 14, two of which were in the Top 5. For their efforts, the Bows were given the number one ranking when the new poll came out earlier today.
2. Offer Up Your Sixth. Over the past ten years, I have called several games inside SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. As a fan, I have attended even more games when the arena first opened in 1994. I have never heard such a sizable audience become silent as it did on Sunday during Set 5 following Spyros Chakas’ injury. After witnessing what they saw, UH played the final two points with sorrowful hearts as he was taken off the teraflex by his teammates. Many watched Tread Rosenthal sprint to the tunnel to see how his friend and teammate was doing after Guilherme Voss scored the match point. Chakas was on the minds of the almost 7,000 people there as he was later put in a wheelchair with a towel over his head. In the post-match media availability with Head Coach Charlie Wade (ESPN Honolulu was not present as we were still on air with the broadcast), we would learn of reports saying that Chakas would undergo an MRI within the next 24 hours where we would learn more of the injury. A solum night after an incredible match and Invitational, our thoughts and prayers are with the senior from Nea Smyrni, Greece #PrayFor6.
3-Outrigger Fulfills Its Billing. We were happy to see the Outrigger return for a second consecutive year after a two-year break. Known as the top non-conference tournament in the nation. With four ranked teams—among them the only undefeated squad in Division I/II—it appeared to be another fantastic field with lots of elite volleyball. And The Outrigger did not let us down once more. Four of the six matches ended in a maximum of five sets. There were several intriguing tales in the match, which began with UC Irvine upset Grand Canyon in five sets, then saw UH defeat Grand Canyon 3-0, the Lopes rally from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Lewis, and the match that lasted three hours and seventeen minutes and ended in five sets throughout the 6-match over four-day Invitational. And the Hawai`i fanbase showed up. For the Invitational, a total of 18,265 were in house for the six matches over four days. Congratulations to those that made the All-Tournament Team: Lewis (Max Roquet), Grand Canyon (Cam Thorne), UC Irvine (Hilir Henno, Max Grigorev) and Hawai`i (Alaka`i Todd and Guilherme Voss), as well as the Most Outstanding Player from Hawai`i, Spyros Chakas.
4-Greetings From Kurtistown. While everyone was aware of the accomplishments of All-American Guilherme Voss in the midst, some were curious about how Cole Hogland’s graduation would affect the MB2 position. Put in Kurt Nusterer, a sophomore in his third year. Nusterer led the Mānoa Roofing Company with eighteen blocks in the Invitational, including fifteen in the last two games, while his parents were in town. In addition to his 11 kills and five aces over the course of three matches, his enthusiasm and sustained runs of points have also contributed to UH’s 17-1 finish in the non-conference part of their season. UH recorded 34.5 total team blocks in the 11 sets they played, including a season-high 17 against UC Irvine.
5-He Is Thiim. Keoni Thiim, the sparkplug who came off the bench as Head Coach Charlie Wade’s first serving substitute, was forced into Chaz Galloway’s six-rotation Outside Hitter role on Sunday. Against the Anteaters, the Kalani High product accomplished a bit of everything: five kills, five assists, five aces, 12 career digs, and two blocks. Expect to see Thiim (as well as Louis Sakanoko) forced into left side duties, as Chakas’s current situation is unknown. As UH prepares for conference play, Thiim and Tread Rosenthal each have 30 service aces on the year.
6–36 Too Little. On Sunday, Hawaii overcame one of the most impressive individual performances in recent memory to defeat UC Irvine 3-2 and win their 11th Outrigger Volleyball Invitational. In the five-set defeat, Anteater Outside Hitter Hilir Henno tallied a career-high 36 kills, three aces, six digs, and two blocks. In all three of the Invitational matches—29 against Grand Canyon, 24 against Lewis, and the previously noted 36 against UH—Henno recorded 20 kills or more. Though the Bows’ serve receive mostly held their own against the potent Henno, three of his four aces from the Invitational came against UH as well.
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