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Hawaii outside hitter Sinisa "Siki" Zarkovic plays volleyball as if he has ice in his veins.
He celebrates as if he has ice cubes dripping down his back.
"When I’m playing, I need to concentrate," Zarkovic said. "When I celebrate, I try to please the crowd. I put things in separate categories."
Zarkovic was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s player of the week on Monday.
A day later, he was named the Sports Imports/AVCA men’s Division I-II national player of the week.
The news was greeted without celebratory gyrations.
"It’s a great honor," Zarkovic said. "The whole team deserves this award. We did it together."
Zarkovic had a combined 28 kills and hit .429 in two five-set victories over Southern California this past weekend. He committed four attack errors in 58 swings.
"The numbers sound high," he said of his hitting efficiency, "but I know I can do better."
Zarkovic served four aces in the first USC match, including two in the fifth set. He has put into play 91 percent of his 270 serves this season.
"His serving is not only effective, it’s efficient," UH coach Charlie Wade said.
Zarkovic also has developed into an athletic defender. He is positioned in the middle during his back-row rotations.
"That’s not a coincidence," Wade said.
Zarkovic, who is 6 feet 4, uses his height and vertical jump to reach shots deflecting high off the block.
"I work a lot on my defense," Zarkovic said. "Defense is how much you want to work on it."
Zarkovic, who was raised in Serbia and Cyprus, speaks four languages fluently.
"He’s a very good player," Wade said.
The Warriors depart today for road matches against California Baptist this weekend.
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