Dimitrios Mouchlias seems to thrive with familiarity.
Overall, the University of Hawaii opposite already ranks among the most productive and efficient attackers in Big West men’s volleyball this season.
In the second match of a series, his numbers spike even higher.
Take, for example, the Rainbow Warriors’ road trip to then-No. 8 Stanford last week. Mouchlias started the weekend well enough, leading UH with 12 kills in 23 attempts in the top-ranked Warriors’ sweep of the Cardinal on Friday. He continued to elevate from there, going for 17 kills with just two errors on .517 hitting in another sweep on Saturday at cozy Burnham Pavilion.
“We were joking inside the team that I’m a second-night player,” Mouchlias said on Tuesday. “But to be honest, I want to fix that.”
Not that the first nights have exactly been lacking punch for the 6-foot-6 junior.
Since hitting .000 in UH’s season opener against Ball State, when he finished with seven kills and seven errors, Mouchlias has hit at least .385 in each of his past seven matches to move into the Big West lead at .420 for the season.
Mouchlias’ cumulative performance at Stanford (4.83 kills per set on .462 hitting) earned him the third Big West Offensive Player of the Week award of his UH career as the Warriors prepare for their return to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
“To be honest, we don’t really look at these kinds of awards,” Mouchlias said. “We just want to win every game, and it takes more than one or two players to win a game. It takes someone to pass the ball and someone setting the ball and then you hit the ball, so it’s more of a team effort.”
After two road trips separated by the lone bye week of the regular season, the Warriors (9-0) will open a five-week homestand with a two-match series with Concordia University Irvine (4-5) of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Warriors play their first home match since Jan. 20 in Thursday’s opener, with the rematch set for Friday.
As a team, UH ranks third nationally with a .369 hitting percentage, and Mouchlias enters the week leading the Warriors with 4.70 points per set, fueled by 86 total kills and a team-high 14 aces. His 3.74 kills per set in eight matches this season ranks second on the team behind outside hitter and Big West leader Spyros Chakas (4.29).
In three matches this season when UH faced a team a second time, his production jumps to 4.4 kills per set with 44 kills against six errors in 78 total attempts for a .487 hitting percentage.
“One of the things he has done throughout his career is he goes back and looks at film,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “He really takes the time to analyze why he wasn’t performing and comes back and generally has a nice second night.”
Saturday’s match began with the Stanford block denying Mouchlias on his first swing of the night. The Cardinal could muster little resistance against him the rest of the evening on his way to his highest kill total of the season to date.
Along with his ascending offensive production against Stanford, Mouchlias assisted on nine blocks in the series, including match point in the finale when he teamed with middle blocker Guilherme Voss on UH’s season-high 12th roof of the night.
Voss finished the weekend with 10 blocks and also earned conference honors with his fourth Big West Defensive Player of the Week award.
“We have a great coaching staff that gives a great scouting report and we were prepared,” Mouchlias said of UH’s blocking performance.
BeachBows open at No. 10
The University of Hawaii beach volleyball team placed 10th in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday.
UH, under second-year head coach Evan Siberstein, went 24-17 last season and finished at No. 13 in the final poll. The BeachBows return the All-America duo of Brooke Van Sickle and Kaylee Glagau and six players who earned All-Big West recognition.
UH opens the season with the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic at Queen’s Beach on Feb. 23. The three-day tournament also features No. 1 UCLA, No. 9 Stanford, Saint Mary’s and Stephen F. Austin.
