Kanetake’s a Warrior to the core

Kolby Kanetake is a typical college volleyball player except he is 5 feet 8, weighs 130 pounds after consuming a plate lunch, won’t wear knee pads and doesn’t know the meaning of pau.

"He’s raised the bar," Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said of the Warriors’ freshman libero from Moanalua High.

Kanetake and fifth-year senior Matthew Cheape are expected to rotate at libero for Friday’s season-opening match against Brigham Young in Provo, Utah.

Kanetake has been a Warrior for five months, but has felt like one for more than a dozen years. Kanetake had a season ticket to UH matches when he was 6 years old. He remembered watching libero Vernon Podlewski and middle blocker Maulia Labarre.

Podlewski, a UH assistant coach last year, helped recruit Kanetake. Labarre is a volunteer coach.

"It’s pretty amazing that I was watching them play and now I’m out here," Kanetake said. "It’s awesome. It’s cool."

Kanetake was named to the Star-Advertiser’s Fab 15 the past two years. He said he initiated contact with the UH coaches "and it went from there."

Wade said he remembered Kanetake from a volleyball camp and thinking, "Erik Shoji." The youngest son of Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji became an All-American libero at Stanford.

Kanetake "doesn’t have what you’d call textbook technique, but he has a great feel for the ball," Wade said. "He’s always around the ball and making plays."

UH assistant coach Sean Carney said Kanetake and Cheape spend their free time using the ball machine to work on their passing.

"Kolby is going to be a really good player in our league, no question," Wade said. "And I don’t think his playing days will stop with college."