Boredom is not part of the legacy. Not the one that the current players on the Hawaii volleyball roster want to leave behind.
The Rainbow Warriors are respecting what the Class of 2017 — Kupono Fey, Jennings Franciskovic and Iain McKellar — taught them and are building on it. One repetition at a time.
The lesson? Rather than spending free time thinking there’s nothing to do, spend it in the weight room.
“Spend that time getting better,” junior hitter James Anastassiades said. “What I love about this team is their dedication to contributing their free time to coming in and doing extra reps beyond our normal team lifting.
“Those guys (the seniors of 2017) set the example in the weight room. They all said they wished they had started earlier because it correlates to being stronger at every part of the game.You can hit the ball harder, serve stronger and have better endurance. It’s why we are better late in rallies, why we are better late in matches.”
It is obvious that something’s working. The Warriors (15-0), off to their best start in program history, have yet to drop a set, establishing an NCAA record for consecutive sets won, currently at 45.
Anastassiades, junior Colton Cowell and senior middle Dalton Solbrig came in as freshmen in 2016 and were “weight room junkies,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “They all saw the benefits, learned from the older guys. Even a guy like Joe (senior setter Worsley) is leaner, stronger and faster than when he came in.
“We can do things (offensively) that other teams can’t because of all the work they’ve put in.”
A prime example is the step-out or slide run by Solbrig. It is used extensively in the women’s game but rarely on the men’s side because the opposition is able to set up the block quickly.
“Dalton is so fast, he’s hard to defend,” Wade said. “Teams aren’t seeing it in their gym and, even if they are, they don’t have someone with that speed.”
The quickness at every position has allowed Worsley to be as creative as he is deceptive. The Warriors are running crossing patterns and combinations, some picked up during their training trip to Japan last fall.
There’s also been a focus on diet, with several Warriors going “Keto,” the Ketogenic Diet of low carbs, high fat with some protein). Anastassiades, a nutrition major, has been the most dedicated to the regimen that creates a metabolic state called ketosis where the body burns fat for energy.
Although the 6-foot-5 Anastassiades isn’t on the diet during the season — “Either you’re all in or you’re all out,” he said — he is some 40 pounds lighter than at the end of last season. He estimates his body fat was down to 6 percent last fall.
While he’s dropped 40 pounds, Cowell has gained about the same amount.
“I came in at 148 pounds soaking wet with pockets full of change, as Charlie likes to say,” the 6-2 Cowell said. “I had never lifted a single weight until entering college and our first team lifting session. I fell in love with picking up and putting down heavy objects.
“I have developed a passion for the weight room, it’s a significant foundation if you’re looking to transform your body. We are all in the best physical shapes of our lives. We have a tremendous strength coach in Josh (Elms) who varies our training methods to maximize strength and explosiveness.”
Cowell has seen his workout ethic mirrored in Solbrig, his partner on the weight racks for two seasons. The 6-6 Solbrig came into the program as a setter/opposite and began to convert to middle during his redshirt year. His hitting (.523) and block (0.95) averages are part of why Hawaii leads the country in both statistics.
“The one guy I give huge credit to on his footwork is Dalton,” Anastassiades said. “For him to switch to middle and become one of the best in the nation requires a lot of work. It’s scary how quick he is. His reaction on the slide is less than a second. We’ve proven that wrong (that the play doesn’t work in the men’s game).
“Our team is committed to being 1 to 2 percent better every day. The better we are, the better our chances of winning the Big West Conference and a national title. Our team is in the weight room more than any other. What do you do when you get bored? We say, ‘Let’s go get better.’ ”
BIG WEST MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
At Stan Sheriff Center
No. 12 Cal State Northridge (10-8, 0-2) at No. 2 Hawaii (15-0, 2-0)
>> When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: KHKA, 1500-AM
>> Series: Hawaii leads, 52-21
