Middle blocker Cole Hogland went from a role player in his first three seasons with the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball program to a starter on last year's NCAA Championship team. The Waimānalo, O'ahu native has returned to a starting role in 2023 as the Rainbow Warriors look to three-peat as national champions.
How long have you been playing volleyball?
I started in 6th grade at Mid-Pac because my mom made me try out, but I never really took it seriously until maybe sophomore or junior year of high school.
What other sports did you play growing up? Why did you decide to choose volleyball over basketball?
I grew up playing soccer, baseball, and basketball and then it narrowed down to volleyball and basketball. After my brother left high school, he was the reason why I played basketball in high school, then I found volleyball to be more fun. I thought I was better at it and had a chance to play at the next level, so I pursued it more.
Hugh and Cole Hogland
Your brother plays professionally in Japan and represented them in the Olympics. Do you see yourself pursuing the same thing in Japan with volleyball?
At least to the professional level, after my time here is done. I'll hopefully play in Japan somewhere and maybe after that, then I'll build on top of that and go to the next goal which will probably be playing on the national team.
At 6'4", you're a little undersized for a middle blocker. What are the advantages and disadvantages of that?
I'm labeled as short but I'd say an advantage is just the different mindset of having to be better, thinking of being better and just trying to be quicker getting to the ball. A lot of other middles have the luxury of just being big and they don't have to jump as high, so there's a lot more work to catch up to the other people. Then you have to put a lot more on top of that to try to be better than the other ones.
What's a bigger thrill for you, getting the kill or putting up a solo block?
Block for sure. People get more kills than they do blocks, especially solo blocks. I think those are a way different feeling than getting a kill on a regular basis. I don't really get too many but blocking for me is just a different feeling because you shut down the other person for that play. When you're the blocker, you block the guy and you're the one in charge.
Who is in your support system in volleyball and in life?
My parents and my girlfriend Brook (Van Sickle) mainly, and my teammate
Devon Johnson. Those are people who support me a lot throughout the whole thing but outside of the team, it's my parents and Brooke for sure, my brother, a couple of people here and there. It's a small support group but they mean a lot to me.
Let's talk about you and Brooke. What has she meant to you and how, if anything, has she helped you with volleyball, being a student, etc.?
Brooke's older than me so she kind of knows a lot more than I do which I'm super thankful for. In school, she helps me because sometimes she's already been through the class and she can help me find the answers and tutor me so it's kind of helpful. Volleyball-wise, she is an All-American Beach player and her entire family knows a lot about volleyball. Her dad went to UH way back and her mom went to HPU. She tells me what I need to work on and she's always at all of my games. She's someone that I really go to a lot outside of my family.
Cole and his family
What would your younger self think of you right now?
My younger self wouldn't even think I'd be here because I had no idea what volleyball was growing up. My dad played basketball, baseball, and football coming out of southern Oregon. My grandfather was an NFL player way back in the day, an O-lineman for the 49ers in the 50s. It was just a huge shift when volleyball came along because it's mainly baseball, football, basketball in our family. Then my mom told us to go try out for volleyball at Iolani. It was just a bunch of other things for me to get here, especially getting more physical in the weight room and becoming smarter on the court. If you see me play on the court it looks like I'm just having fun. When it's game time, I try to have fun because when I have fun, I think I play a lot better.
What advice would you give to kids?
Be an outside hitter, don't be a middle. If you're tall, play other positions and expand your volleyball. It's better to have a wide range of tools I would say like passing, hitting, blocking, reception, all those different things. I kind of went in and out of positions in high school. I was trying to be an oppo, but then to get on the court, I had to be a middle. Growing up, I was always small so then they had bigger kids playing at the oppo or the outsides, and no one was really playing in the middle, so if I was wanted to get court time, that's how I was going to get on the court. It was just wherever I could get on the court, I would play that position.
You've already earned your bachelor's degree and currently attending grad school. How is that going?
It's good. I'd say grad school is way different from undergrad. I signed up late so I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. It's a lot more learning. Rather than learning old material, you have to go out and learn about these things. In TIM, it's a lot of paper writing, a lot of reading, well a lot of grad school is reading, but I wasn't really ready for that. I hated it. But now I'm more open to it, especially since my classes have only eight people. Right now I feel good about it because the professors are very supportive,. It's different from undergrad because it's such a small, specific program that it feels more personal. It's nice to know I have that support.
How do you balance your academic life, athletic life, and personal life?
I try to go to the beach every chance I get. I'm only taking three classes right now so I have a lot more free time compared to the undergrad program. I have a lot of time to go to the beach, do whatever I need to do, and go golfing. I'm starting it up again since I have more time.
Cole on National Signing Day
Cole during his freshman season
Cole at the 2022 NCAA Championship
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