UH reigns supreme over King

For opening night, the University of Hawaii volleyball team benefited from a Dutch treat.

Stijn van Tilburg, a 6-foot-8 freshman opposite from the Netherlands, pounded 14 kills in 15 errorless swings to power the Rainbow Warriors to a 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 rout of King in the first round of the Outrigger Resorts Invitational on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

“He should have gone 15-for-15,” setter Jennings Franciskovic said, smiling. “We’ll work on that. I’ll have to talk to him.”

It was an astonishing debut for van Tilburg, who produced kills from every direction in hitting .933. Van Tilburg hit line, seam, from both front corners and, four times, from behind the 3-meter line.

“Jennings gave me perfect sets,” van Tilburg said. “The passing was correct. Everything fit. It was exciting.”

Van Tilburg connected on his first six swings through early in the second set. His second swing hit the Tornado block, but was recovered by the Warriors. He didn’t miss on his next eight swings.

“Stijn can get up there,” Franciskovic said. “I try to set him high and give him something to swing for. When we put it up there, he gets the kills. I trust him. I would have set him more tonight, but we have to rest his arm.”

Van Tilburg filled the vacancy created when Brook Sedore completed his eligibility following the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament. Hendrik Mol, Iain McKellar and Nainoa Frank addressed the void in the middle left with the graduations of Taylor Averill and Davis Holt.

Mol, who was a pin hitter during his first two UH seasons, has adjusted to his unconventional role. There were sequences where Franciskovic, who can touch 12 feet, blocked in the middle while Mol defended UH’s front right. Mol slammed a clear-net kill against a startled King defense.

“It’s not easy blocking me when I’m all over the place,” said Mol, who also was an offensive option from the back right. “That’s one of our strengths. We can be flexible.”

The Warriors also scored points on 10 of Mol’s 13 serves in the first two sets.

Mol eased on his jump serve, mixing in a 33-mph floater, as part of the Warriors’ strategy. Libero Kolby Kanetake said the plan was to serve the ball into play, then rely on the block and defense to create transition plays.

“They didn’t really have the players who were really terminal,” said Kanetake, who had 18 digs. “We knew if we could keep the ball in play, we could use that to our advantage, whether we’re blocking it or just getting the ball back to get another attack.”

King managed 20 kills in 73 swings and hit .068. King scored only six natural points, including one in the third set.

“When we’re in system, we’re going to score,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “We have guys who score in the pins, and our setter’s doing a nice job. There’s no question, we’re still a work in progress. But, obviously, it was a nice job.”

The Warriors went to their sideline in the third set. Brett Rosenmeier, an outside hitter from Virginia, slammed five kills in five swings.

“I can’t believe I’m playing in Hawaii,” Rosenmeier said. “I’m from the East Coast. We don’t get anything like this. … It’s great to have a bunch of fans supporting us.”

The Warriors play Harvard, a five-set loser to Lewis, at 7 tonight. King and Lewis meet in the 4 p.m. match. None of the tournament’s matches will be televised.