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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Jackson Van Eekeren, Garrett Geiger and Gage Worsley are Hawaii’s juniors.
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It’s Tic-Tac-Toe for Hawaii’s junior threesome of Gage Worsley, Jackson Van Eekeren and Garrett Geiger.
Worsley, a libero, already has placed his “X” on the board, squarely in the middle as the anchor of the Warriors’ serve-receive, passing and defensive games. Acknowledged as the best at his position nationally, the 6-foot-1 Worsley is coming off an All-America season in which he ranked second in the Big West and sixth in the country in digs per set (2.44) en route to being named Off the Block’s Erik Shoji Award winner as the top libero.
For the first time since his junior year in high school, he is the lone Worsley on a roster. Older brother Joe, Hawaii’s All-America setter last season, is in Germany playing for VfB Friedrichshafen Volleyball. Last May, the two were the second pair of brothers to earn first team All-America in the same season, joining Stanford’s Kawika and Erik Shoji from 2010, the year the Cardinal won the NCAA championship and the Worsleys were ballboys.
“Losing last season was heartbreaking,” Gage Worsley said. “That’s pushing us even harder this year. We don’t want to experience that feeling again.”
The 6-6 Van Eekeren is in the mix to replace Joe Worsley at setter, vying with sophomore Jakob Thelle and redshirt freshman Brett Sheward. Van Eekeren, from Illinois, has played in a combined 12 matches over the past two seasons as reserve setter.
The 6-5 Geiger is a rarity for the Warriors, coming in as a junior transfer. He earned all-conference honors last season at Fullerton (Calif.) College, leaving the third-year program as its all-time kill leader.
While Gage Worsley is a given ‘X’ at starter, it remains to be seen if Van Eekeren and Geiger will add their respective ‘X’ to create a winning row.