FAIRFAX, Va. >> When he has time away from the office or gym, Milan Zarkovic often unwinds by piecing together bits of aluminum or plastic into a work of art.

After a couple of months, the meticulous process will produce a colorful mosaic, each element contributing to a defined image.

The methodology crosses over into his work on the volleyball court, where he’s helped University of Hawaii head coach Charlie Wade build the Rainbow Warrior program into a two-time national champion with designs on a third title this week.

“You take all the small pieces and you see maybe the smallest can make a difference in the eye, can make the difference in the expression of the face,” Zarkovic said of creating mosaics.

When he works with players, he looks for those perhaps small pieces that “will be the best for them that shows in time and competition.”

Now in his 10th year on the UH coaching staff, Zarkovic work was recognized for his work Tuesday when he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time.

Like the UH players who have received conference and national honors over the past two weeks, Zarkovic appreciated the recognition but remains focused on the Warriors’ title defense.

“We are teaching these guys to be part of the collective of the group,” said Zarkovic, who also won the award in 2020.

The award was announced as the Warriors arrived in Virginia for the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship. After the overnight trek, the Warriors got their first look inside EagleBank Arena to scout Tuesday’s quarterfinal match between Penn State and Ohio State.

While the players headed back to the hotel during the match, Zarkovic and fellow UH assistant coach Kupono Fey watched the entirety of Penn State’s 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24 win to set up a rematch with UH.

The Nittany Lions (27-3) handed the Warriors (28-2) their first loss of the season in four sets in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational on March 10 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. They’ll meet again in the 1:30 p.m. match on Thursday with a spot in Saturday’s national championship match on the line.

“Very excited to have a rematch,” Fey said. “Every single NCAA tournament I’ve been in (2015 and ’17) we’ve played Penn State. So it feels like normal to see them in the NCAAs.”

Fey was entering his freshman year at UH in 2013 when Zarkovic joined the coaching staff with his son, Sinisa, on the roster as an outside hitter. Zarkovic had been a successful coach on the national level in Serbia and his influence and presence were evident as soon as he entered the gym.

“Just super friendly, super passionate and super knowledgeable with totally different drills than what we were used to,” Fey said of his first impressions of Zarkovic. “Everybody in the country was doing the same drills and he came in with a totally different concept and a very creative approach and it really expanded our learning process and made us into better players.”

Fey, who went on to play professionally after college, was part of the 2015 team that ended a 13-year NCAA Tournament drought and helped set the foundation for the program’s elevation to its current status.

Likewise, Zarkovic said he has continued to develop his coaching style and methods over his decade in his adopted volleyball home.

“We say it’s not for the people (of Hawaii), it’s because of the people,” Milan said of the program’s mantra. “My son recognized this and he was the first one who invited me (to Hawaii).

“I trust Charlie Wade and I sent my son and then I came to help other kids. Siki finished in 2016 and (seven) years after I’m still here.”

UCLA’s John Speraw was named the AVCA Coach of the Year after leading the Bruins to a perfect run to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament.

The AVCA will announce the National Player of the Year award today.

Quarterfinals

Penn State 3, Ohio State 1

Cal Fisher, a second-team All-American, put away 18 kills with two errors in 30 swings and served up three of Penn State’s 10 aces to lead the Nittany Lions past the Buckeyes 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24 and into Thursday’s matchup with Hawaii.

Michal Kowal added nine kills on .500 hitting and three aces and middle blocker Owen Rose was in on eight of Penn State’s 13 blocks.

Ohio State (23-10) had a chance to force a fifth set, leading 24-23 in the fourth. But a service error forced deuce, Fisher drilled an ace to give Penn State match point and the Nittany Lions advanced on Ohio State’s 24th attack error.

Shane Wetzel led Ohio State with 29 kills and Jacob Pasteur finished with 16 kills against 14 errors.

Long Beach State 3, Grand Canyon 1

Beach middle blocker Simon Torwie put down 10 kills in 11 error-free attacks and was in on eight blocks to lead LBSU (21-4) past the Lopes 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23 and into a semifinal matchup with top-seeded UCLA.

Opposite Clarke Godbold led LBSU with 13 kills and outside hitter Spencer Olivier added 12 kills and 10 digs. Sotiris Siapanis sat out the first set after feeling ill in the days leading up to the match. He started the second set and put away 12 kills in a team-high 27 attacks.

Camden Gianni led GCU (22-7) with 18 kills on 43 swings and Jackson Hickman finished with 13.