HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i women's volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow rounded out her coaching staff with the hiring of Nick Castello on Thursday. Castello returns to the Rainbow Wahine staff after spending the last two seasons at Irvine Valley College as an assistant coach.

"I couldn't be happier to announce the hiring of Nick Castello," Hawai'i head coach Robyn Ah Mow said. "Nick is a passionate coach who is eager to learn and will add a wealth of knowledge to our gym. He previously served as my volunteer coach for two seasons and his work ethic and ability to make those around him better has always been a constant characteristic of his. Nick also understands the strong culture of Rainbow Wahine Volleyball and what it represents not only for the University, but the state as a whole."
 
Castello, who was a volunteer assistant from 2017-18 helped the Rainbow Wahine to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in Ah Mow's first two seasons at the helm. Castello helped the Rainbow Wahine to the 22nd best opponent hitting percentage in 2017 (.256) and the 77th most digs per set in 2018 (16.17).

Previously at Irvine Valley College, Castello helped guide the Lasers to the 2019 CCCAA Championship match with an undefeated regular season. 
 
A Hawai'i alum, was the starting libero for the Rainbow Warriors volleyball team from 2011-12. He finished his UH career with 404 total digs (1.99/set). As a senior, he averaged 2.28 digs per set which ranked 14^th nationally and fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. After graduating from Hawai'i in 2012, Castello went on to play professionally for VK Ostrava (2013-14) and Voleibal Brno (2014-16), the latter of whom he helped win silver at the Czech Cup and silver at the Czech Extraliga.
 
Prior to playing at UH, Castello played two seasons at Irvine Valley College and was a member of the 2010 Pacific Coast Conference championship squad. He was named the conference's player of the year in 2010 after averaging 4.03 digs per set.
 
The Honolulu native is a 2007 graduated from Assets High School. Castello starred at Maryknoll School because Assets did not field a volleyball program. He earned second-team all-state and first-team all-league honors as a senior. He also played basketball and baseball in high school.

Castello was the Maryknoll's boys volleyball head coach in 2018.