Hawaii’s Spyros Chakas said he’s been in a zone like he was in Friday night’s sweep of Stanford before.
The numbers suggest otherwise.
The senior outside hitter was named the AVCA Men’s National Collegiate Volleyball Player of the Week on Tuesday after leading the Rainbow Warriors to two wins over the previously fifth-ranked Cardinal last week.
Chakas averaged 5.43 kills per set and hit .550 in seven sets against Stanford. He saved his best for Friday’s sweep in front of nearly 9,000 fans at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, when he hit a career-high .733 and put down 23 kills in 30 swings.
Chakas, who had 21 kills in his first 26 swings before he was double blocked in the third set for his only error, finished one shy of his career high in kills.
That came in a four-set win over Cal State Northridge as a sophomore. His previous high for kills in a three-set match was 16.
He had hit .700 once before in a sweep of UC San Diego two years ago. This number came against a team that was ranked in the Top 5 in the country.
“It was just a night that everything was working for me,” Chakas said. “I can’t promise that it’s a night I can have every game, but I can promise I give 100% every night, and good performances come from that.”
Chakas sat out both matches against Tusculum two weeks ago for what head coach Charlie Wade called “load management.”
Hawaii has another week off this week before hosting Division II Missouri S&T for two matches next Thursday and Friday.
This is the final full week off for the team before UH hosts the Big West Championships on April 18-20.
“Fortunately I have been able to take some time off and relax and be 100% when the team needs me,” Chakas said. “I feel like now we’re at the part of the season, where I am going to be 100% every game to be available. I’m doing my best to keep my body safe and just be ready to go every time.”
Hawaii remained No. 3 in this week’s Top 20 rankings after improving to 10-1 for the season with nine consecutive wins.
Chakas enters the week ranked third nationally in both kills per set (4.29) and hitting percentage (.426).
He has hit in double figures in kills in six straight matches, tying the longest run of his career — in the final six matches of the 2022 season that culminated in a national championship.
That remains the goal this season.
“It’s a work in progress, we’re not expecting to be at 100% at the beginning of the season and I don’t think we are there yet,” Chakas said. “Things have started to click more with the games we’ve played together and the more we have the lineup out there to get more experience time. It’s like a puzzle we’re slowly building that’s going to peak at the right time.”
