Daniel Rasay’s perspective for the week balanced between looking ahead to the challenge of facing No. 1 Hawaii and reflecting on his volleyball upbringing in the islands.
As Rasay, now in his 14th year on the Stanford men’s volleyball coaching staff, focuses on helping the eighth-ranked Cardinal prepare for a two-match series with UH, the matchup also brings back memories of his years as a Rainbow Warriors setter.
“I owe a lot to the (UH) program for developing me as a young man,” Rasay said in a phone interview this week. “I appreciate the program, and the fans, and Hawaii and the support that we got.
“So it’s always nice for me in a sense that I can reflect on my time back there. At the same time it’s kind of stressful preparing for a monster and competing against a really good team.”
Rasay, a 2000 Konawaena graduate, played for UH from 2002 to ’05 and will be opposite the two-time defending national champions when the Cardinal (7-2) host the Warriors (7-0) on the Stanford campus today in Maples Pavilion and on Saturday in Burnham Pavilion.
The series represents a final test prior to the start of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation schedule for the Cardinal and Rasay approaches his duties on the staff, led by 17th-year head coach John Kosty, with a familiar sense of appreciation and responsibility.
In July 2020, Stanford announced a plan to eliminate 11 sports, including men’s volleyball, following the 2020-21 season. But a swell of fundraising support spearheaded by alumni of the various sports led to a reversal of the decision in May 2021.
After a year of uncertainty, the Cardinal went 14-14 last season and came within a few points of a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Seeded fifth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, Stanford knocked off Grand Canyon, then stunned top-seeded UCLA in five sets to advance to the championship match. The Cardinal dropped the first two sets against Pepperdine in the final, then rallied to force a fifth set before falling 15-12.
The Cardinal entered this season back in the Top 10 in the national polls and with expectations heightened by the tournament run.
“We’re kind of reborn with a new energy for the future,” said Rasay, whose official title is the Al Roderigues assistant men’s volleyball coach. “It fuels us to do the best we can because we have so many peoples’ support.
“It’s similar in a sense to Hawaii,” he added. “You play for the state, you play for the people, you play for the guys that have come through the program, and that energy and support fuels you when times get challenging. … I know I felt that support when I was at Hawaii, and it’s kind of similar in how we feel right now having that support after being cut.”
The Cardinal jumped out to a 5-0 start before a loss to No. 4 Penn State in the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Texas. They enter today’s match with UH coming off a split last week, with a five-set loss to Cal State Northridge followed by a sweep of The Master’s.
The Cardinal returned first-team AVCA All-America outside hitter Will Rottman and honorable mention libero Justin Lui. Theo Snoey, a 6-foot-8 freshman from Berkeley, Calif., has emerged as a starter at opposite, and senior setter Nathan Lietzke is running an attack hitting .309.
“We’re starting to feel whole again coming out of COVID and coming back after being cut,” Rasay said. “We missed out on a recruiting class (and) we’ve got a solid freshman group in our gym now.
“Our (practice) gym is a lot more competitive than it has been in recent years, so we’re balancing some solid veterans and some young guys who are figuring out the game. But overall the talent level we have is fun to work with.”
Rasay’s Hawaii connections contributed in Snoey’s recruitment to The Farm. Rasay remains in close contact with former UH teammate and roommate Alfee Reft, now head coach of UCLA’s women’s team, since their college days, and said he got a call from Reft regarding Snoey during the process.
“We bounce volleyball ideas off of each other,” Rasay said. “It’s always cool to know I can just get on my phone if I want to talk volleyball or culture or whatever it may be, and Alfee will be there and we have some great conversations to this day.”
As for this weekend’s series, the Cardinal will face a UH team coming off a bye week and anticipating the return of setter Jakob Thelle, who sat out the Warriors’ past three matches. The teams met in last year’s First Point Challenge and Stanford took the first set before UH stormed back for a 19-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-20 win. Dimitrios Mouchlias led UH with 18 kills and Spyros Chakas added 13.
“At every position you have some of the most dynamic players,” Rasay said of the Warriors. “All three pins are great athletes with high volleyball IQ. You’ve got two really athletic middles, a setter that has led this offense to be super efficient and a really talented libero.
“’It’s a scary thing to think about and try to game-plan for. We’re putting a lof of focus on what we do and the energy and mentality we have and we’re going to do our best to slow those guys down and see what we can do.”
Rainbow Warriors volleyball
At Stanford, Calif.
No. 1 Hawaii (7-0) vs. No. 8 Stanford (7-2)
>> When: Today, 5 p.m.; Sat., 4 p.m.
>> Radio: 1420-AM/92.7-FM (Friday), 1500-AM (Saturday)
>> Online: Pac-12 Network (Stanford Live Stream)
