They’ve been setting records all year — from the NCAA’s consecutive-sets-won streak (74) to the program mark for matches won in a row (25). They left Monday for the NCAA tournament with a couple more.
Top-ranked Hawaii (27-2) had a program-best four players named to the 10-member All-America first team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The Rainbow Warriors also tied a program mark with five overall selections, sharing the record with the 2015 and 2018 teams.
Senior hitter Stijn van Tilburg earned his third first-team award, just the second Warrior to do so. He joins Costas Theocharidis, who went on to become Hawaii’s only four-time winner (2000-03).
“It just shows how well the season has been and that we do it together,” van Tilburg said. “Unfortunately, Dalton (senior middle Solbrig) and Colton (junior hitter Cowell) didn’t get any recognition. I feel like they should have. But I’m happy for everybody that made All-American.”
Joining van Tilburg on the first team were senior setter Joe Worsley, junior opposite Rado Parapunov and libero Gage Worsley, the only sophomore chosen. The Worsleys are the second set of brothers to be selected to the first team in the same year. The first were Stanford’s Kawika and Erik Shoji in 2010.
Junior middle Patrick Gasman was named to the 10-member second team.
Joe Worsley was on the second team last season, and Parapunov and Gasman were honorable mentions.
“It was pretty cool,” Joe Worsley said of him and his brother earning the honors. “I’ve been saying this all year long, this tournament is the biggest accomplishment.
“If we do what we want to do, we take care of business, and we come out where we want to come out at the end of this tournament, none of the other stuff matters. But obviously it’s pretty cool.”
“It means that the work is kind of paying off,” added Parapunov, who is from Bulgaria, “but I’ve said many times that this is not an individual sport, so All-American, All-Bulgarian, no one cares that much. All that matters is the national championship.”
Also on Monday, UCLA senior setter/hitter Micah Ma’a (Punahou) was named to the first team for a third time, just the fourth Bruin so honored. UC Santa Barbara freshman hitter Ryan Wilcox (Punahou) was selected as the national newcomer of the year as well as one of the 25 honorable mentions.
No. 2 Long Beach State had three players on the first team, led by TJ DeFalco, who becomes just the third player in AVCA history to be so honored four times, joining Theocharidis and Erik Shoji.
This gives Hawaii 42 All-America certificates, including 28 on the first team, honoring 28 different individuals. The Warriors are tied for second with UCLA and BYU in the number of individuals, as well as tied for second in first-team certificates.
The AVCA All-America banquet is scheduled for Wednesday at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach, Calif.
Hawaii, seeded first in the national tournament for the first time, has a bye into Thursday’s NCAA semifinal at Long Beach State and will meet the winner of today’s first-round match between Lewis and USC. The second-seeded and host 49ers will meet the winner of the other first-round match between Pepperdine and Princeton.
Van Tilburg, the MVP of the Big West tournament, is second for the Warriors in kills per set (3.92) and ranks No. 2 nationally in hitting percentage (.473). Parapunov ranks No. 5 nationally in points per set (5.14), No. 6 in hitting percentage (.432), No. 7 in kills per set (4.14) and No. 8 in aces per set (0.477).
Joe Worsley leads the nation in assists (11.33 aps) and directs an offense that is No. 1 nationally in three offensive categories: hitting percentage (.442), kills per set (14.21), and assists per set (13.32).
Gage Worsley ranks No. 5 nationally and first in the Big West in digs per set (2.51). Gasman is No. 2 nationally in blocking (1.42 per set) while also averaging 1.72 kills per set on .465 hitting.
Also, the five Warriors are in the running for Off The Block national awards. Van Tilburg is up for best outside hitter and international player; Parapunov also is up for the top international player as well as the best opposite; Gasman is a finalist for best middle attack and national blocker of the year; Joe Worsley for best setter and Gage Worsley for best libero.
The OTB awards will be announced Friday.
Staff writer Brian McInnis contributed to this report.
