It was hana hou for two University of Hawaii volleyball players.
For the second year in a row, opposite Rado Parapunov and libero Gage Worsley were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-America first team.
Left-side hitter Colton Cowell and middle blocker Patrick Gasman were selected to AVCA’s second team.
Parapunov was a prolific point accumulator on a UH team that was 15-1 and ranked No. 2 nationally before its season was abruptly abbreviated in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parapunov averaged 4.47 kills and 5.28 points per set while converting .377 of his swings.
“He just works hard,” assistant coach Josh Walker said of Parapunov. “He’s kind of obsessed with playing hard and watching volleyball, which, of course, doesn’t hurt. He really took ownership of his development.”
Early in his UH career, Parapunov and Stijn van Tilburg, an All-American who completed his eligibility last season, were battling for the No. 1 opposite’s job. “At some point, him and Stijn were the top scorers in our (practice) gym. We had to get them both on the court, and he excelled from there.”
Van Tilburg moved to the left side, giving the Warriors twin-tower pin attackers. “He went from being the best opposite in the gym to the best opposite in the country,” Walker said of Parapunov, who also developed into a chaos-causing server.
Worsley was recognized for his passing, floor-burning digs and leadership. Worsley averaged 2.1 digs per set, and steadied UH’s serve-pass game, even when not paired with Cowell in the back row.
Cowell, who is considered one of the Big West’s best passers, improved his overall skills. “He absolutely worked hard to get better,” Walker said. “He improved his passing first, and then he went to improving his scoring, and then to improving his defense. And, all of a sudden, he went to being an All-American this season.”
Cowell averaged 3.77 kills per set.
Gasman was a heralded middle when he joined UH in August 2015. But he sat out his first season after suffering a foot injury. He rebounded to earn all-league honors as a freshman and sophomore, then was named to the AVCA second team as a junior in 2019. Last season he averaged 1.7 blocks per set while improving his serving. He had five aces in a comeback victory over BYU.
BYU setter Wil Stanley, a Punahou graduate, was named to the first team. Concordia Irvine libero Addison Enriques (Kamehameha-Hawaii) was an honorable mention pick.