For the first time since 2003, Hawaii men’s volleyball has a conference player of the year — and the Rainbow Warriors did it without playing a single conference match in 2020.

Senior opposite Rado Parapunov earned top honors from the Big West Conference on Monday after leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 15-1 record and a No. 2 ranking before the season was prematurely shut down due to the coronavirus threat.

UH’s only previous conference player of the year was Costas Theocharidis in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation of 2001 and 2003.

Parapunov led the BWC in kills per set (4.77) while hitting .377, fifth in the conference. His season-capper was a 30-kill tour de force in a five-set comeback victory over then-No. 2 BYU at the Stan Sheriff Center on March 6.

Parapunov was joined on the first team by senior hitter Colton Cowell, senior middle Patrick Gasman and junior libero Gage Worsley. Gasman is the first Big West player to be a three-time first-teamer (the Big West has had men’s volleyball for three years).

And hitter Chaz Galloway, setter Brett Sheward and middle Guilherme Voss were named to the seven-player BWC All-Freshman team.

UC Santa Barbara’s Rick McLaughlin was named BWC Coach of the Year. The Gauchos (14-2) finished ranked No. 3 in the country.