With only a week of practice to prepare for tonight’s home opener against McKendree, sophomore setter Tread Rosenthal felt he couldn’t afford to miss any of it.

The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year was forced to make a trip to urgent care midway through Sunday’s morning practice to take care of a stomach bug.

Coach Charlie Wade was surprised returning to the arena that afternoon to see his 6-foot-11 setter sitting on the side before the second practice of the day.

Rosenthal wasn’t an active participant, but it was important enough for him to be there instead of at home.

“Definitely you’ve got to show the guys that you’ve got to show up no matter what,” Rosenthal said. “I felt better, so there was no reason just to stay home and watch TV while these guys are in here working hard.”

Entering his second season with the program and on a team with four new starters and 11 total newcomers, Rosenthal has already ascended to leadership status for a program that lost five players to graduation.

Part of that growth is natural due to the position he plays. The other reason for it is the amount of turnover the team has had from just two years ago.

“I definitely have grown into a little bit of a leadership role that has been forced on me and that I have taken up on my own,” Rosenthal said. “It’s an honor and a privilege and now it’s just working through those kinks that an 18-year-old should work through. I feel more in tune with our systems and all of the guys who have come back. Connections are great, we’ve all gotten better and now it’s just putting it all together as one team.”

A highly touted prospect who became the first true freshman to start at setter for UH since 2004, Rosenthal learned as he went throughout his first season.

He directed the nation’s No. 2-ranked offense with a .350 hitting percentage and was the only freshman to make the All-Big West first team.

Now with a full year under his belt, and more time spent in the summer playing in the United States’ national team program, Rosenthal returns as a much different player.

That’s not just because of his height, which is now 6-foot-11, according to his head coach.

“He’s way better of a player than he was — straight up,” Wade said. “He’s in better shape. He grew from the start of the year maybe 3 inches. He’s a legit 6-11. He’s just stronger and these are more his guys. Finn (Kearney) and Kainoa (Wade) are national teammates of his and he’s played against Adrien (Roure) and Kristian (Titriyski) in world championships. This is his team and these are his guys and you can tell he’s just having a lot more fun and doing a lot better job of leading the group.”

It was a tough lesson at times last season, joining a successful Division I men’s program with national championship success as a 17-year-old freshman.

Not only has Rosenthal gotten taller, but his commitment to the weight room is noticeable on first sight.

All the pieces are in place to pull off a run similar to what Jakob Thelle did before him in playing for the national championship year after year.

“Obviously the team is different and individuals have gotten a lot different, but I think we’ve done a great job in the offseason of keeping on our training and making sure we’re staying in shape,” Rosenthal said. “Even some people are losing weight and getting more active, and so with all of the new guys in the gym, it’s going to be an exciting year.”

Rosenthal’s first year meant trying to quickly establish a connection with experienced veterans Spyros Chakas and Chaz Galloway on the outside, Alaka’i Todd at opposite and Guilherme Voss in the middle.

All of those players are now gone, replaced by players Rosenthal is familiar with.

The challenges remain the same, but the identity and culture put together by this team will be different than in years past.

“Not everything is going to work for every guy, and you’ve got to adapt to how some players play and how some players act on the court,” Rosenthal said. “We don’t want to be exactly like the guys in the past, but there are a lot of things they have proven that they have done very well in the NCAA that we need to carry on, and some new things we need to bring in with these new personalities in the gym.”