Kainoa Wade Wins Big West, National Weekly Awards

By Kennedy Choo

University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball head coach Charlie Wade has assembled a juggernaut this season. The Warriors are so deep and so dangerous that even the next man up looks like an All-American.

When star opposite hitter Kristian Titriyski went down, Wade turned to a familiar replacement: his son, Kainoa. A former standout at Kamehameha Schools, Wade stepped into the lineup and delivered in a big way, racking up 44 kills and 55 points while earning Big West Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week honors.

“Anytime one of our guys gets nationally recognized, it means you had a good week,” Coach Wade said.

In their first road trip of the season, Hawai‘i swept Northeast Conference member Saint Francis before taking down EIVA member and No. 13-ranked Penn State—sweeping the Nittany Lions in the opener and winning in four sets in the finale.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Wade said of winning two awards in the same week. “It’s been a long time coming for me, but it’s a byproduct of our team having so much success.”

A two-time Hawai‘i state player of the year, Wade enrolled at the University of Hawai‘i a semester early to get a head start on his collegiate development. This past summer, he served as an alternate for the USA U21 National Team, competing against some of the top young talent in the world.

“He has met every challenge so far,” Coach Wade said. “I’m excited to see his development.”

For Kainoa, the weekend was about putting the work he put in during the offseason on display—and staying ready for when his name was called.

“We say every year our B side is a top-10 team in the country,” Wade said. “When the door opened, getting that opportunity was awesome.”