Guilherme Voss’ summer job teaching the game doubled as an opportunity to learn.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Voss stayed in Hawaii over the summer and spent much of the break coaching with the Na Keiki Mauloa club program.

When the Rainbow Warrior middle blocker reported for practice in the fall, the concepts from the summer translated to his role as one of team’s veteran leaders.

“You learn a lot by coaching,” Voss said. “You learn how to teach from example, which also helps with guiding the new freshmen when they come here and they need someone to look up to. The two go hand in hand very well.”

A freshman for the past two years due to the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, Voss enters this season among three returning starters to the Warrior lineup and poised to step into a more prominent role as a sophomore.

Voss ranked third on the team with 47 blocks as a complement to senior Patrick Gasman last season. His .514 hitting percentage led the 2021 starting group while he averaged 1.35 kills per set.

With Gasman completing his career by putting away the final kill of the Warriors’ win over BYU in the national title match, UH coach Charlie Wade said Voss is slated to start the match in the front row, giving him added opportunities to impact the match at the net.

Along with coaching over the summer, Voss said he played beach volleyball, “just getting faster and jumping higher.”

“Guilherme is playing at a really high level,” Wade said. “I think there’s no doubt he’ll be one of the best middles in the country.”

Along with taking on more responsibility on game nights, Voss said he’s looking to help build on the culture set by the classes that came before.

“We’re talking to the guys, setting an example of how they should act and how they should play, on and off the court,” Voss said.

Voss’ transition from the offseason into the start of practice was far less hectic than last year, when travel restrictions led to an extended journey from Brazil to Hawaii.

With direct travel barred from Brazil to the U.S., Voss began his trek with a trip to the United Kingdom, where he stayed with his brother for his 15-day quarantine. He was then able to book the leg to Hawaii and had to spend three more weeks in quarantine before being able to join the team for practice.

He got up to speed for the start of UH’s run to the national championship, and closed the season by putting away nine kills in 14 swings with no errors in NCAA Tournament wins over UC Santa Barbara and BYU.

The Warriors also got deeper in the middle in the offseason with the addition of Kyler Presho as a graduate transfer from Stanford. Junior Max Rosenfeld returns after hitting .684 in his 12 appearances in 2021 and has recovered from a hand injury that kept him out of fall practices.