Franciskovic made himself a better setter and a better man

Admitting weakness is not a weakness. It is a strength, a self-realization that comes early to some, late to others and — for the stubborn — never at all.

Ask Jennings Franciskovic about that journey, about the soul searching, the time spent in the darkness of frustration and doubt.

Ask about the questions that only he could answer — the hardest, almost unthinkable of which being whether to walk away from what had defined him for much of his 21 years: volleyball.

After a breakout sophomore year in which Franciskovic set Hawaii to an at-large berth in the NCAA championship tournament, one where he earned All-America honorable mention, his junior year saw him and the Rainbow Warriors struggle. It was a season that also saw him watching from the bench for early parts of 11 contests as freshman Joe Worsley took over as the starting setter 14 matches into what would finish as a 16-12 disappointment.

“I struggled a lot after last year, trying to figure out what I wanted this final year to be, maybe even step away from the sport altogether,” Franciskovic said as third-seeded Hawaii prepared for tonight’s MPSF tournament quarterfinal with sixth-seeded Pepperdine. “I had conversations with my parents, coaches, my athletic director from my high school.

“I came to a lot of realizations, including rethinking what my expectations were going to be, and figuring out how, personally, I was going to tackle my senior year. I knew I needed to find my love for volleyball again, the ‘why’ of playing. And I realized I would regret not finishing what I had started.”

It pretty much has been the senior year that the high school All-American out of Oaks Christian, Calif., envisioned when working out — hard — in the weight room this past fall. The Rainbow Warriors (24-4) have won 21 straight at home dating back to last season, including going 17-0 this season; their 24 victories are tied for third-best in program history; and were untouchable from Jan. 21 through March 11, winning 15 in a row as well as 32 consecutive sets.

It’s been satisfying personally as well for the 6-foot-5 setter, who is coming off a near triple-double (34 assists, career highs of 11 digs and 9 blocks) that earned him player of the week honors on Monday from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The season-opening weekend included Franciskovic making the “SportsCenter” Top 10 Plays with his one-handed “Kong Block” of Ball State’s Anthony Lebryk; the postseason-opening week included being named to the All-MPSF first team.

What’s changed?

“I think he realized he had to be better,” Warriors assistant coach Milan Zarkovic said. “Everyone has the opportunity to recognize where to change. He recognized what he had to do if he wanted to become one of the best because he has the ability to be that.”

Added Hawaii head coach Charlie Wade: “I think he’s come to the realization that you are in control of your own happiness, your own path in life. A lot of young kids when things don’t go well look somewhere else instead of looking in the mirror. He’s taken complete ownership. He’s always been gifted physically, but now he’s put the time and effort into it and it shows.”

To that end, Franciskovic admits his biggest regret.

“I wish I had worked harder sooner,” he said.

It has paid off, from improved passing to more consistent serving, from set accuracy to his vertical. Called “freakish” by Wade, Franciskovic increased his vertical to 45 inches from 36 as a freshman. He has a pogo-stick ability to go straight up on blocks and dump shots, a beach skill he learned from his father, Matt, a successful pro on the AVP circuit.

“We all saw how talented he was starting freshman year,” said Warriors senior hitter Kupono Fey, a teammate of Franciskovic on the U.S. junior national team that took silver at the 2015 Pan-Am Cup. “He’s playing phenomenally well this season. We all knew he had the talent to do it.

“He’s a natural leader, one who leads by example. I look up to him.”

That leadership quality was one of the doubts Franciskovic had. He was “bummed” when he wasn’t voted a team captain last year.

“I wondered what I had to do differently to become the leader that I wanted to be,” the tri-captain said. “What’s exciting about this team is we enjoy spending time with each other on and off the court. Everyone loves each other.

We don’t have that one guy who is an amazing player; we have six on the court at all times. Everyone is good at what they are good at, but everyone together is so much better. We are doing this as a team.”

Franciskovic, who hopes to play professionally, turns 22 on May 10. That’s three days before graduating with a double degree in marketing and entrepreneurship.

In many ways, he attained that last fall when selling himself on himself.

Note

Hawaii athletic director David Matlin bought 200 tickets for UH students to attend tonight’s quarterfinal, matching the 200 bought by Wade earlier in the week. Students are normally admitted free, but that is not the case in the postseason.