HONOLULU – The two-time defending national champion University of Hawai'i men's volleyball inked commitments from three prospects, all of whom recently moved to the 50^th State and are attending Moanalua High School. Kai Rodriguez of Gilroy, Calif., Justin Todd of Houston, Texas, and Zachary Yewchuk of British Columbia, Canada will join the team for the 2024 season.
 
"We're excited about the quality of players we're bringing in and with the combination of size and experience," head coach Charlie Wade said. "They are players who really want to be in Hawai'i and want to work hard to be the best players they can become and who will help us continue to win at the highest level."
 
Rodriguez, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, prepped at Christopher High School in Gilroy, Calif., before moving to Hawai'i this summer. He now attends Moanalua High School and plays for Outrigger Volleyball Club. In his junior year at Christopher, he averaged 3.2 kills and 1.7 digs per set along with 85 aces in 64 sets played and led the team to the Pacific Coast League Gabilan Division championship for the first time in program history. His 85 aces were a new school record. Rodriquez, who played for Bay to Bay Volleyball Club, helped them win a U16 national championship and earned MVP honors. He is also a skilled beach volleyball player who won the U18 Division of the California Beach Volleyball Association's Cal Cup this summer.
 
Todd, a 6-foot-8 outside hitter from Houston, Texas moved to Hawai'i this year and is enrolled at Moanalua High School and plays for Outrigger Volleyball Club. In Houston, Todd played for the Houston Volleyball Academy while attending Ridge Point High School. He was also selected to participate with USA Volleyball's National Team Development Program where he averaged 13.5 kills per match with a .373 kill percentage. He also averaged three digs, 1.8 blocks and 1.6 aces per match.
 
A native of British Columbia, Canada, Yewchuk and his family moved to Hawai'i in 2022 and played one season at Damien Memorial High, leading the team in kills and was named first-team Division II all-Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The 6-foot-7 opposite is enrolled at Moanalua High School for his senior year and plays for Outrigger Volleyball Club. He was named MVP of the Aloha Summer Classic tournament and is nominated as an all-star at the 2022 AAU Nationals. In Canada, Yewchuk prepped at Elgin Park High School, where he led his team to first place at the South Fraser Championship and was recognized as a top 12 all-star at the Senior Boys Triple A Provincial Championship.
 
2023 Signing Class
Name                                        Pos     Ht.       Hometown/High School
Kai Rodriguez                            OH     6-4       Gilroy, Calif. / Moanalua [HI] HS
Justin Todd                                OH     6-8       Houston, Texas / Moanalua [HI] HS
Zack Yewchuk                           OPP   6-7       Surrey, B.C., Canada / Moanalua [HI] HS