The Greeks have a word for it: exypnos.

It means "smart."

It’s how Siki Zarkovicdescribes the way he plays — has to play — the sport he loves.

Hawaii’s junior outside hitter — who speaks Greek in addition to Serbian and English — admits he is not an imposing 6 feet 4, his frame toned more like that of a swimmer … which Zarkovic was competitively, growing up in Cyprus.

But what the Serbian national does have is a high volleyball I.Q. The skills can be taught. The instinct? That is something else.

Consider last Friday’s match against then-No. 3 Penn State. Hawaii had worked hard to rally in Set 1 after trailing 21-18. The Rainbow Warriors fought to tie at 22 and 23, and when Aaron Russell’s kill gave the Nittany Lions set point at 24-23, Hawaii called a timeout.

The plan? The "bick" — a low pipe set from behind the 3-meter line — had been effective and, with Zarkovic in the back-row, it was a viable option for sophomore setter Jennings Franciskovic. They talked about it during the timeout.

The set wasn’t perfect, and neither was the timing. Zarkovic hesitated, altered his approach, and took more of a flat-footed shot that Penn State couldn’t handle, tying it at 24.

The Warriors scored the next two points, taking the set and riding the momentum en route to sweeping the Nittany Lions.

"I think that shows how he has matured. He’s not bothered if things aren’t exactly right," Franciskovic said. "He’s a big part of our success this season mainly because he’s been so consistent. When things go bad, Siki is still calm. I trust he can get us out of bad situations and we’ve worked a lot on the off-balls.

"He is so smart, on and off the court. He has that knowledge and the skill. He can tool the block, which is a hard skill to master. He’s smart enough to know when to use it and knows where to place the ball.

"He’s so good at a lot of things, which is really annoying. But volleyball is definitely his thing."

Zarkovic didn’t have a choice.

He was a gym rat. His father Milan was a top international coach at the junior level, including 10 years as the Serbian Junior National Team head coach. During his tenure, Serbia moved up in the FIVB rankings from No. 28 in 2003 to No. 1 in 2010.

With his son on the team, Serbia won gold at the 2009 and 2011 World Youth Championship and a gold at the European Youth Championship.

A year after giving Siki his blessing to come to Hawaii, Milan joined Charlie Wade’s staff as an assistant last season. He has enjoyed reuniting with his son, watching his growth and that of the Warriors.

"The biggest compliment anyone can give is to trust someone else with their child," Milan Zarkovic said. "My decision to come here was my way of giving back to the program that is giving my son so much."

Many young adult children would not welcome a parent following them halfway around the world. But Siki said that, after a "healthy break" from his father, he was glad to have him back in the gym.

"I played for him for five years but I grew up watching him coach," Zarkovic said. "He’s all about volleyball. We used to go home and analyze the games. I still enjoy that part with him.

"For me, as much as I love the beach and to body surf — I’m not that great at it — my life is volleyball, school and Dad."

Heading into Friday’s conference opener against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara, Zarkovic leads No. 9 Hawaii in points (4.98 per set) and kills (4.39 kps) and is tied for second in aces.

"Siki’s game is pretty complete," Wade said. "Like most coaches’ kids, he has a better understanding of the game.

"At one point against (UC) Irvine, he was hitting around .900. He ended up at .500 and that was with them sending the whole building to block him. He’s played at such a high level from a young age and it shows."