Hawaii’s Jakob Thelle named BWC Player of the Year; Charlie Wade is co-coach of year

Jakob Thelle gives practically every day reminders of his penchant for the spectacular.

The College of Hawaii setter’s regular hand in directing the Rainbow Warriors’ assault additionally proved pivotal in conserving the defending nationwide champions on observe of their return to the NCAA Match.

Thelle and UH coach Charlie Wade, two of the guiding forces within the Warriors’ march to the Huge West championship, added to this system’s assortment of accolades on Tuesday in being named the convention’s Participant of the 12 months and Co-Coach of the 12 months.

UH claimed the Huge West Participant of the 12 months award for the third straight season, with Thelle’s choice following these of former reverse Rado Parapunov in 2020 and ’21.

“I can’t consider somebody who’s performed school volleyball that may affect the sport within the variety of ways in which he can,” Wade stated. “He’s a particular participant and only a actually neat child.

“He despatched me a really humble and congratulatory textual content this morning. It is a high quality, high quality younger man in each means potential.”

Wade shared the Coach of the 12 months honor with UC Irvine’s David Kniffin in voting of the convention’s six coaches following final week’s Huge West Championship at SimpliFi Area at Stan Sheriff Heart.

Wade, the 2019 AVCA Nationwide Coach of the 12 months, obtained the Huge West award for the primary time in his 13 years main this system. He turned the primary UH coach to earn a convention Coach of the 12 months award since Mike Wilton was voted the Mountain Pacific Sports activities Federation’s high coach in 1995.

After shedding a senior class that includes three first-team AVCA All-America picks and a second-team choice off of final yr’s nationwide title workforce, Wade led the Warriors to a 24-5 document thus far, their second Huge West event title and a fifth NCAA Match berth prior to now eight years.

Thelle’s return was a part of the inspiration for the Warriors’ title protection, and the junior from Norway saved the UH assault rolling this season.

Thelle averages 9.97 assists per set whereas main the Warriors to a .340 hitting proportion and the left-hander ranks sixth within the nation in aces per set (0.55).

“He’s not solely a statistical chief, however an emotional chief for us,” Wade stated. “And he at all times appears to make performs whether or not it’s late in a rally, late in a set, late in a match.”

Thelle earned Huge West event MVP honors after main the Warriors to sweeps of UC Santa Barbara and Lengthy Seaside State. He set the Warriors to a .377 efficiency within the event and posted a double-double with 43 assists and 11 digs in UH’s sweep of Lengthy Seaside State in Saturday’s title match.

A day later, Wade recalled a sequence earlier within the week for example Thelle’s distinctive ability set.

“There was a ball that was dug and he went operating towards our bench and he takes it one-handed and scoops it again over his head all the best way to left entrance,” Wade stated.

“Most individuals would contact it and preserve it in play. He set it, and it was all the best way on the market, and Chaz (Galloway) jumped and scored. … It appears day-after-day there’s a ‘wow’ second.”

Kniffin led UC Irvine to the Huge West semifinals, the place the Anteaters (11-16) gained the primary set towards LBSU earlier than falling in 4 units.

Lengthy Seaside State exterior hitter Alex Nikolov was a unanimous decide for Huge West Freshman of the 12 months. Nikolov is from Parapunov’s hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria, and ranks first nationally in aces per set (0.61) and third in kills per set (4.60). He averaged 6.71 kills per set within the Huge West event and put away 28 within the win over UC Irvine.

The Warriors and Seaside will signify the Huge West in subsequent week’s Males’s Nationwide Collegiate Volleyball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. LBSU is the highest seed and has a bye into the semifinals. UH is successfully the third seed and can face North Greenville or Princeton in an opening-round match on Could 3.