GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER. COM
Guilherme Voss of Hawaii went there to try to kill Karter Rogers and Cameron Thorne of the Grand Canyon earlier this month.
Guilherme Voss insists she would have gotten into the game anyway, but continued her volleyball career at the age of 10 with the help of grandma and grandpa.
He was born in Rio de Janeiro, but a job opportunity for his father brought the entire Voss family to Texas when he was 6 years old.
When they returned to Brazil, 4 years later, they had to remodel the apartment they lived in. So they moved in with their grandparents, who were a block from the beach.
This is where Voss headed daily toward the ocean, and its length made it an easy target to sign up for the local beach volleyball team.
“At some point, the team that was educating there recruited me to play beach and I played beach (volleyball) for 3 years, which at the time I was playing with 4 (teams),” Voss said.
When he lived in Texas, he played basketball until he discovered that there were practices on Saturdays and Sundays.
“My dad said no,” Voss said. (Texas) is a great speed replacement for Brazil, but it’s good. “
That’s volleyball for Voss, who, 14 years after first hitting a ball over a net on Brazil’s beaches, will take a few extra swings and block a few more balls inside the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The 6-foot-7 center blocker is one of six players who will be revered at Senior Night festivities Saturday after Hawaii’s No. 5 (18-4, 1-3 Big West) closed out his regular-season homestand against No. 20 UC Santa Barbara (7-14, 0-5).
Voss leaned on a friend to help him make the decision to come to UH. At the time, he liked the fact that the weather was similar to home.
“To say it meets expectations is an understatement,” Voss said. “Hawaii is amazing. Everyone treats me like family. The weather is perfect. There’s literally nothing I can do. “
Voss graduated from high school in December 2017 because the school year in Brazil runs from January to December, from fall to spring, as in the United States.
He played for the national team after graduation until the summer of 2019, when he attended UH.
He read too late in school, so he took a year off to play.
Hawaii “is on the bucket list,” however, his adventure on the islands began with an email to head coach Charlie Wade, who receives a good percentage of emails from prospective athletes.
“For most of them, you click delete,” Wade said with a laugh. “I had researched the schools I wanted to attend in the United States. He contacted me and when I saw his CV, he was already part of the Brazilian national team program, which is obviously one of the most productive countries in the world. For volleyball, it’s a pretty simple sell on my part.
Voss said he welcomed the team with open arms, but had no idea how popular men’s volleyball is in Hawaii.
This was an obvious walk with Rado Parapunov before participating in an individual education consultation at UH.
“I went on a waterfall hike with Rado and we were in the middle of a hike in the middle of the jungle and he identified himself and asked me to sign an autograph and take a picture of him,” Voss said. “So it’s very shocking to me that this is happening. “
Being seen now is a normal thing for Voss, who showed his emotional side in the final festivities of senior night by seeing some of his teammates and closest friends honored.
He doesn’t expect to have the same reaction on Saturday, when he’ll have to have fun in front of a full space at the Stan.
“I think I was more excited for the other people leaving than I was for myself, but let’s see how it goes,” said Voss, who tried to play a more vocal role in education with Spyros. the rest of the season. There’s still a good chunk of the season to go, but at the end of the day there’s been a lot of history in this structure for all the seniors. “
Voss has 111 of the 114 games he’s played, ranks first all-time in school history with an array shooting percentage of 516 and fifth overall in blocks with 410.
He named a first-team All-American last season as a junior after being part of the second team as a sophomore. Hawaii is 65-6 in home games with Voss on the team, and even after he leaves, he believes good luck is here. stay.
“I feel like we were a very talented elegance that partnered with elegances that were already here and we all progressed one point together,” Voss said. “I think that’s what’s happening right now. I don’t think Hawaii is going to avoid waste now that we’re gone. I think it’s just from here.
RAINBOW WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL
At the Stan Sheriff Center’s SimpliFi Arena
5 HAWAII (18-4, 1-3 BIG WEST) VS. HAVHAI (18-4, 1-3 BIG WEST) NO. 20UC SANTA BARBARA (7-14, 0-5)
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