One of the most decorated volleyball players in University of Hawaiʻi history thinks the top-ranked Rainbow Warriors can win a third straight national championship in 2023 but says the focus must start from their side of the net.
Costas Theocharidis, a native of Greece who earned the nickname “Greece Lightning,” was a dominant outside hitter for UH from 2000 to 2003, shattering multiple records along the way. Midway through UH’s 2023 season, Theocharidis was back on his old stomping grounds and cheered on the ‘Bows in person during matches against Pepperdine.
“For them to go for a third consecutive championship, it hasn’t been done in the modern era (since the mid-1980s with UCLA) and it’s something that will be very hard to be repeated if they are able to pull it off,” Theocharidis said. “When I look at the team and what they’ve done, I think what they should fear the most is their own performance because those guys are winners. The coaching staff are proven winners. If everything goes according to plan, those guys should be holding the third trophy at the end of the season.”
Paving the way for current Greek players
Theocharidis was named an All-American in each of his four years, and led UH to an 86-31 record. He came to Mānoa in 1999 from Orestiada, Greece. The 2023 edition of the Rainbow Warrior volleyball team features two of his Greek countrymen: junior outside hitter Spyros Chakas from Nea Smyrni, Greece, and junior opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias from Soufli, Greece.
“Dimitrios Mouchlias reached out to me last year when they won the championship and he sent me a picture of him holding the trophy and right next to him put a picture of me in 2002,” Theocharidis said. “And I was so startled, I was like ‘wow, they’re tapping into the Greek pipeline.’ Having Dimitrios and Spyros on the team, and allowing this program to reach the pinnacle of it, and going for a third consecutive championship, I’m just immensely proud of what the guys have done with the team, immensely proud of what the coaching staff has done.”
“I have heard of Costas before I came here but I didn’t really know him, I knew that he was from a place right next to my hometown and I came here, I talked to him,” Mouchlias said. “…It was amazing seeing him in person and talk to him. We had lunch, we shared stories and he told me some advice.”
During his recent trip to Honolulu, Theocharidis was invited by the coaching staff to speak to the current players, which he called an “honor.” Chakas said meeting him in person in the middle of the season served as additional motivation for the No. 1 team in the nation.
“We could relate to his story. It was similar to our story, both mine and Dimi’s,” Chakas said. “…There are not a lot of people that have been able to come that far out of their country and represent their country, so I think Dimi and I always keep Greece in the back of our heads when we play. We represent our country with pride and we just try to set the example for younger kids who want to follow in our footsteps.”
Reflecting on UH career
Theocharidis set records as a Rainbow Warrior for most career kills (2,198), most service aces in a match (nine against USC in 2002) and tied for most career service aces (121). He also ranks No. 4 and 5 for most kills in a single season (604 in 2002 and 596 in 2000), and No. 3 in kill average in a single season (6.14 kills per set in 2000). Many UH fans have continued to remember the impact Theocharidis has had on the program.
“The welcome was absolutely amazing,” Theocharidis said. “I was truly deeply moved by the whole experience. I was so appreciative and grateful to have experienced something unique 20 years ago that very few people in the world get a chance to experience. The amazing part was to see that the legacy lives on—it was such a humbling experience. Hawaiʻi is an amazing place. I really truly feel blessed and fortunate to have lived in this unique culture.”
Theocharidis recalled his experiences playing in the Stan Sheriff Center for Hawaiʻi’s team.
“These are some of the best years of your life and to spend those years in the best state, in one of the best places in the world, playing the sport in a state that doesn’t have professional sports, in one of the best arenas in the world with some of the best fans in the world. You put everything together and it’s just heaven,” Theocharidis said.
Theochardis graduated from UH in 2003 with a degree in finance and management information systems. He worked for a money management firm in Hawaiʻi until 2007, before moving to Boston to work in wealth management. A few years later, he went to graduate school at the London School of Economics for a degree in finance and accounting. Theocharidis then worked in Washington, D.C. and New York City for several years, before moving to Boston in 2016. He is now a real estate professional and lives with his wife and three daughters. Theocharidis said he plans to visit Hawaiʻi again in December 2023 to run the Honolulu Marathon, and is also planning a reunion with his former UH volleyball teammates next spring during the Rainbow Warriors’ 2024 season.
Three-time national champs?
The quest for a three-peat ramps up as the Rainbow Warriors head to Irvine, California for the Big West Tournament, April 20–22. UH has held the No. 1 spot in the nation for 15 out of 16 weeks this season and sports a 26-2 record. In all likelihood, even if the ‘Bows don’t win the Big West tournament, they still would be a top candidate for an at-large bid into the seven-team NCAA Tournament, which runs May 4–6 in Fairfax, Virginia.
Theocharidis credited the UH coaching staff, led by Charlie Wade and Milan Zarkovic with turning the program into a national powerhouse.
“The state of Hawaiʻi does not deserve anything less. It truly deserves championships,” Theocharidis said. “And I’m just so happy to come back and see that happening and see the Stan [Sheriff Center] being packed.”
—By Marc Arakaki
