After winning all three of its matches at the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational with its first No. 1 ranking of the season to boot, the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team was not in a celebratory mood after the weekend it just had.
That’s because star player, floor captain, standard-bearer and senior Spyros Chakas went down with an injury at match point of UH’s five-set victory over UC Irvine on Tuesday and was removed from the match.
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On Tuesday, UH head coach Charlie Wade confirmed Chakas was out for the season but did not comment on the specifics of the injury, citing medical privacy laws, but Chakas was seen gripping his left knee on the play that he went down.
Hawaii’s senior night is scheduled for March 30, but Chakas’ time in a UH uniform is done. Too many matches have been played for a medical redshirt, and Wade remains optimistic in the Greece native’s upcoming professional career.
The outside hitter’s list of accolades includes two All-Big West first-team selections, two AVCA second-team selections, Big West All-Freshman honors and most importantly, two national championships, the second of which he was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2022. Along the way, he rejected multiple overtures to turn pro early, citing his appreciation for Hawaii fans and a desire to graduate college.
“He’s had an impressive career. He’s been such a big part. … He’s literally one of the best players in men’s collegiate volleyball. He’s had an amazing career with us,” Wade said. “He’s played a big part in league and national championships throughout his career and he will be missed, no question. It’s a devastating loss for our program and we gotta pick up the pieces and move on.
“I think everybody is hurt and saddened and concerned. It’ll be a challenge for sure.”
No one man can replace Chakas, particularly midway through a season, but it appears senior Keoni Thiim and freshman Louis Sakanoko will get the majority of the reps in trying to do so, doubling down on Wade’s philosophy of attempting to win games from the service line. Thiim and Sakanoko are UH’s two hardest-hitting servers as far as velocity is concerned.
Hawaii begins Big West play on Friday and Saturday at Long Beach State in a national 1-2 matchup, with both matches set for 4 p.m. HST on ESPN+. Without Chakas, the ‘Bows will look different, but the stakes remain the same.
“We got five weeks to figure out what we gotta do to come here and play in the Big West Tournament. Right now, the next 10 matches are for seeding,” Wade said. “Is there really any difference if you’re playing in the 3-6 (matchup), which spot you’re in? Would we like to get the 1 or the 2 (seed)? Sure. But for us, there will be a match to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in the Stan Sheriff Center in late April. We need to be in that match, and we need to win it.”
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Redshirt sophom*ore middle blocker Kurt Nusterer will never forget a fall scrimmage during his freshman year in which Hawaii’s ‘B-side,’ also known as its second-stringers, give UC Irvine’s ‘A-side,’ its starters, a run for its money in a narrow set loss. Nusterer thought UH’s backups pushing UC Irvine’s starters was a positive sign, only to receive a verbal lashing from Chakas. The lesson: Never be satisfied. Heading into Friday’s series, he believes the team will lay hold of Chakas’ words.
“It was brutal,” Nusterer said of losing Chakas. “He was such a big contributor to our team in so many different aspects. He’s the biggest statistical contributor, he’s probably one of the biggest frontrunners for AVCA player of the year, he’s contributing as a leader because he’s been here for so long. We’re trying to scramble now and find the pieces of the puzzle that will work to take the huge chunk that he had that’s left now that we’re missing.
“His advice will always stick with me. His final message was to never be satisfied with a result, even if it’s a win. There’s always something you can take from that win that you need to do better. We’re gonna have two games. Friday, we’re gonna have a really, really tough test, especially now. We’re gonna learn from that and carry that into Saturday and hopefully by Saturday we’ll be more acclimated to the climate of our team, and if not on Saturday, then we’re gonna take lessons from there going forward and hopefully come back stronger when we’re playing in the Stan.
Long Beach’s environment is so tough to play in, too. They’ve got The Pyramid, they’ve got some pretty excited fans there so hopefully some of our green army shows up to cheer us on.”
