HONOLULU — The money could wait.
For some of the best Hawaii men's volleyball players, professional offers were on the table last summer following the Rainbow Warriors’ second straight national championship. The opportunity to get a jump on real life beckoned for setter Jakob Thelle, hitter Spyros Chakas and more.
To a man, the UH players with college eligibility remaining and pro options decided to come back for a run at third straight title in 2023. The preseason No. 1 team in the country returns its entire seven-player starting lineup heading into the Jan. 12 season opener against No. 6 Ball State.
“For me personally, I had a chance to go somewhere, but I knew I’d regret so much if I didn’t take the opportunity to be here another year,” said Thelle, the reigning Big West Player of the Year from Tonsberg, Norway who set the program single-season aces record with 61 in 2022. “That was my motivation for staying another year.”
Coach Charlie Wade said he’s never had this degree of continuity from one season to the next in his 14-year tenure. Besides Thelle and Chakas, the regular starters back include opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias, hitter Chaz Galloway, middles Guilherme Voss and Cole Hogland and libero/backup setter Brett Sheward.
The second unit is well represented with Filip Humler, Keoni Thiim, Kana‘i Akana, Alaka‘i Todd and ‘Eleu Choy back as well after seeing part-time roles last year.
“I think it just shows how much they care about the program and love representing the state of Hawaii,” Wade said. “(Thelle) had a nice offer from Italy and other professional offers, as did a handful of the guys.”
Chakas, who along with Mouchlias played for the Greece senior national team all summer, said there was no single offseason meeting where the entire gang decided to get back together.
Individually, collectively, it didn’t matter — it just made sense.
“It wasn’t hard for me. I’ve come here for a goal — to finish school and get a degree first,” said Chakas, a junior who was UH’s leader in total kills and points last season. “And (to) be around this group of guys. We just have so much fun together. And of course, coming back knowing that all my friends were coming back, being on the same team again and having such good ambitions. I didn’t hesitate at all.”
Unlike the 2021 title, when UH had a ready-made crop of All-Americans primed for one last ride coming off a lost season, the 2022 run to a championship was a study in growth and perseverance.
Chakas, Mouchlias, Voss and Sheward were among the ‘Bows who stepped into prominent roles last season and, as the 27-5 season went, began to fill them out. Thelle emerged as a true team leader.
Wade said the starters have all upped their games since the May 7 sweep of rival Long Beach State at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion and the ensuing Downtown Honolulu celebratory parade.
“Spyros and Dimi played on their senior national team all summer. They’re a little more physical. Chaz is a little more physical, scoring a little better out of system. Brett finished the year playing at a really high level and just kind of kept that going. Jakob, he’s the unicorn, he does everything. He impacts the game in so many ways. Both middles, Cole and ‘G’ continue to evolve and contribute in a lot of different ways.”
The third option at the pins, the high-flying Galloway, worked on his front-row, scoring in the offseason to complement his back-row capabilities.
“I really wanted to become more dominant, like Spyros, up at the net,” Galloway said with a smile. “Probably that and serving. Gotta get better at serving.”
Among the backups, the Kalani High alumnus Thiim has made the biggest strides and has positioned himself as high as the No. 4 hitter, Wade said. Otherwise, he acknowledged it will be tough for a “B” sider to crack into the lineup this year.
The players who spoke in front of the cameras on media day Friday — Thelle, Chakas and Galloway — all said the team is not assuming a third straight title is a given. The practice culture is one of discipline and diligence, in their view.
Thelle, who’s already earned his undergraduate degree, divided his offseason with rest, volunteer coaching and playing for the Norwegian national team.
Chakas and Mouchlias’ Greek team twice won head-to-head matchups with Norway in European championship qualification. Chakas said he blocked one of the 6-foot-6 Thelle’s infamous lefty swings on the second touch.
“I know him,” said a chuckling Chakas, perhaps risking fewer sets coming his way in 2023.
Ball State should provide a worthy first challenge. The Cardinals gave UH the toughest test in May’s NCAAs when the Rainbow Warriors had to rally to beat them in five in the semifinals. However, BSU doesn’t have the same continuity as UH coming into this season; few teams do.
UH should be tested all season. The teams ranked Nos. 2 through 9 in the preseason AVCA poll appear on the schedule, either in the pre-conference slate or in Big West play.
“You’re not going to be able to overlook anybody,” Wade said. “It hopefully keeps us motivated to keep improving throughout the year.”
UH will hold its national championship banner unveiling on opening week, likely Friday in the Ball State rematch Jan. 13.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.