The University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team is poised to make a strong statement to start the 2024 season.
The Big West Conference champions and last year’s national runner-up will open their season Wednesday against Loyola-Chicago at SimpliFi Arena in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The team, with three starters – Spyros Chakas, Chaz Galloway and Guilherme Vos – finds motivation in reminding themselves of how the season ended a season ago, in a loss to UCLA in the national title game, the first time since 2021. They will not reveal a logo The new national championship on opening night.
Senior outside hitter Spyros Chakas emphasized the team’s focus, saying, “Whether it’s a pennant or not, we still have to do our job. Our first priority is to go for it and do our best.” Reflecting on the team’s preparations, Chakas added, “Fall is always the beginning of Slow for the season…We are excited to play back-to-back weeks in front of our fans.”
The team faces the challenge of replacing key players, including American player Jacob Thiel and libero Brett Sheward. Head coach Charlie Wade acknowledged these changes: “We still have some question marks… We’re missing some really important pieces.” However, he remains optimistic, noting: “We have familiar faces coming back, guys who have played a lot and won a lot for us.”
Looking to the future, Coach Wade has eluded 6-foot-8 true freshman Tred Rosenthal to potentially fill the setter position, with transfer Kevin Colling also in contention. Returning shareholder Elio Choi is expected to play an important role as well.
The team’s opening series against Loyola-Chicago is scheduled for next Wednesday and Friday night at SimpliFi Arena. The two matches will start at seven in the evening and will be broadcast on Spectrum Sports.