HONOLULU — Former University of Hawai'i All-American Kolby Kanetake will return to Mānoa as an assistant coach with the UH women's volleyball program, Rainbow Wahine head coach Joshua Walker announced.
 
Kanetake played for the UH men's volleyball program from 2013 to 2016 and earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America recognition his junior and senior seasons before embarking on his coaching career. He joins the UH women's program after serving on the coaching staff at Chaminade University for the last six years, holding the role of associate head coach for the last three seasons.
 
Just as in his playing days, Kanetake has earned national acclaim as a coach while helping Chaminade compile a 127-37 overall record and capture three PacWest Championships in his time with the Silverswords. He was a recipient of the AVCA's Thirty Under 30 award in 2022 and was named the AVCA NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024.
 
"We are very excited to welcome Kolby back to Mānoa to join the UH women's volleyball program," Walker said. "His success so far as a coach is impressive to say the least, and his success as a player gives him a unique perspective on how to be successful here. I know he will work hard, diligently, and effectively, and will be a great asset for the Wahine Volleyball program. He's an elite addition to our team."
 
A graduate of Moanalua High School, Kanetake earned the starting libero job in his sophomore season with the UH men's volleyball team. He was named to the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Second Team and picked up AVCA All-America honorable mention recognition as a junior in 2015. He closed his career by earning AVCA All-America Second-Team honors and was named to the All-MPSF Second Team. He finished his UH career third in program history with 775 career digs and averaged 2.34 digs per set.
 
"I am thrilled and honored to rejoin the UH Athletics 'ohana," Kanetake said. "My time as a player and a student at UH was deeply impactful, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to now work alongside Coach Walker. I am also immensely proud of our accomplishments at Chaminade and look forward to bringing my passion to the Rainbow Wahine and contributing to this program's rich history and tradition. I would like to thank my family, friends as well as all my former players, colleagues and past coaches for helping me be ready for this opportunity." 
 
Kanetake's senior season coincided with Walker's first year as an assistant coach with the Rainbow Warriors in 2016. Kanetake took his first steps into coaching as a student assistant at UH and went on to serve as a volunteer assistant at the University of California. He then spent a year at San Francisco as an assistant with the Dons' indoor and beach volleyball programs in 2017.
 
In 2018, he founded Aloha State Volleyball Club and handled its operations while helping high school student-athletes pursue collegiate volleyball. He joined the Chaminade volleyball program in 2020 and focused on working with the liberos and outside hitters on serve reception and floor defense. He also coordinated the team's recruiting efforts as well as academics, scheduling and scouting.
 
In his tenure at Chaminade, Kanetake helped the Silverswords earn four NCAA Division II West Region appearances. In 2023, Chaminade earned the No. 1 seed in the regional for the first time in program history. The following season, the Silverswords completed a 20-0 run in PacWest play. Along the way, Kanetake helped Chaminade produce 13 AVCA All-America selections, 13 All-West Region selections and 30 All-PacWest honorees. He also assisted with Chaminade's beach volleyball program since its inception in 2024.