Match Notes  |  2013 Media Guide

The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team opens the 2013 season with a two-match Mountain Pacific Sports Federation series at Brigham Young, Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5. Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. MT (4:00 p.m. HT) at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
 
The Warriors (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) begin the season unranked in the preseason AVCA Top 15 poll for the first time in school history and will open on the road for the first time since 2007. UH returns three starters from last year's team which finished 7-20 and missed the MPSF playoffs for the first time under fourth-year head coach Charlie Wade. Among the returning starters are outside hitter JP Marks and middle blocker Nick West.
 
BYU (0-0, 0-0) is ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll and returns All-American outside hitter Taylor Sander and all-MPSF second team middle blocker Russell Lavaja.
 
Matches #1 & #2
Who: Hawai'i (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) vs. No. 2 BYU (0-0, 0-0 MPSF)
When: Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. HT
Where: Smith Fieldhouse; Provo, Utah
Television Coverage: Friday's match will be televised on BYUtv (Oceanic Digital Ch. 409)
Streaming Video: Friday's match only at www.byutvsports.com
Radio Coverage: Friday's match will air on AM 1500 with Blaine Kauwe calling the action. Saturday's match will air on ESPN 1420AM.
Audio Webcast: Saturday's match only at www.espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Available at byucougars.com
Series Information: BYU leads the overall series 31-17 and have won 10 of the last 12 in the series. In Provo, BYU holds a commanding 18-3 advantage, which includes a current eight-match win streak. The Warriors have not won in Provo since splitting a two-match series in 2003.
 
Recapping 2012
The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team concluded its most challenging season in the program's history in 2012, establishing a school-record for losses (20) while finishing the year with a school-record eight-match losing streak. The Warriors concluded head coach Charlie Wade's third season with a 7-20 record and missed the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs for the first time under Wade.
 
Returning for the Warriors were Steven Hunt, a four-year starter at outside hitter, and libero Nick Castello but virtually the rest of the starting line-up included new faces. UH's opening day lineup included three players making their Division I debut – JP Marks of Schwerin, Germany at outside hitter, Johann Timmer of Auckland, New Zealand at opposite, and UC Irvine transfer Nick West at middle blocker. In addition redshirt sophomore Sam Biscaro made his first start at setter.
 
After a four-match win streak pushed their record above the .500 mark, the Warriors began a six-week stretch that included five teams ranked Nos. 1-4 in the national rankings. UH went 1-9 in those two-match series, including a seven-match losing streak to No. 2 UC Irvine, top-ranked UCLA, No. 4 USC, and No. 3 Stanford. The skid came to a halt in the rematch to Stanford, as the Warriors rallied for a four-set win on the Cardinal's home court.
 
Following the win, UH dropped two more matches to No. 4 BYU which was the start to a season-ending eight-match losing streak that saw the Warriors fall victim to two-match series to Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, and UC Santa Barbara. In all, Hawai'i lost 15 of its final 16 matches, by far the worst stretch in school history.
 
International Flavor
The Warriors have spanned the globe as head coach Charlie Wade and his staff assembled a roster that they hope will get them back to the MPSF playoffs. Over the last two seasons, UH added five international players, including Sinisa Zarkovic of Belgrade, Serbia, and Iain McKellar of Macclesfield, England, from this year's recruiting class. Last year, the Warriors signed JP Marks from Schwerin, Germany, Johann Timmer from Auckland, New Zealand, and Brook Sedore from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. Marks started 26 matches at outside hitter last year while Timmer started the first seven before suffering an injury that hampered him the rest of the season. Sedore was a valuable substitute. Zarkovic comes to UH with a ton of international experience with the Serbian Youth and Junior national teams. McKellar also competed for England's junior national team.
 
Welcome Home
A pair of former Hawai'i high school standouts will suit up for the Warriors in 2013 – Hawai'i Baptist Academy graduate and Pepperdine transfer Ryan Leung and Roosevelt High School graduate and Pacific transfer Joby Ramos. Both have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Ramos will battle for the starting setter spot while Leung will compete at opposite. In addition, defensive specialist Kainoa Mitchell, another Roosevelt HS alum, joins the Warriors after spending two years at Orange Coast College.
 
Former Warrior Joins Staff
Former Warrior setter Sean Carney has joined the Warrior coaching staff as an assistant coach. Carney, who lettered for UH from 2006-09, will coach the setters. He spent the past several years coaching club volleyball in the islands following a three-year professional career in Europe. Honolulu-born Carney is a 2004 graduate of 'Iolani School.
 
UH Picked 12th In Preseason MPSF
The Warriors were picked 12th in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Warriors finished 12th in the final league standings a year ago. UC Irvine is the preseason favorite with 143 votes, including 11 first-place votes.
 
Unflattering Records
UH finished the season unranked in the AVCA poll for the first time ever, snapping a string of 26 consecutive seasons ranked in the poll. UH was one of just five teams to accomplish that feat. In addition, UH's 20 losses was the highest single-season total in school history eclipsing the previous mark set by the 2009 squad (9-18). The team also set a new school record for consecutive home losses with eight, which will carry over into next season. UH's 18 conference losses are also the most since the 2009 squad lost 16 MPSF matches. UH finished the season with a losing record for the fourth time in the last six years and missed the MPSF Tournament for just the third time since 1993.