UH players Nusterer and Matias help with club volleyball

For Hawaii volleyball middle blocker Kurt Nusterer, the joy of training is watching the kids experience moments that he considers to be his “special memories” of being their age.

Jackie Matias, setter for Rainbow Wahine, says it’s the moment when one of her players has finally developed a certain skill to the point “where it clicks and they’ve figured it out.”

Although they are in the midst of their college careers as student-athletes, Nusterer and Matias are two of numerous UH volleyball players giving back and coaching club volleyball this summer.

Rainbow Warriors head coach Charlie Wade is expanding his A’o A Koa club to include at least four girls and four boys teams for the upcoming club season.

The tryouts will take place on Saturday in UH ​​Gym 1 and are free for all interested volleyball players ages 12 to 16 who would like to learn from UH players and coaches.

Courses are also held for interested volleyball players of all experience levels from 8 years of age.

“We really want to give back to the community. And there’s no better way than to show them how we do the training and the things we do in volleyball and get our players to get involved and do the same,” Wade said. “I think we offer something for a broad spectrum. If you’re just starting out and haven’t really played yet and want to take some of our classes, that’s a good opportunity. And if you’re an elite player and you want to play at the college level, there’s no one better to play for than the college coaches and players.”

Nusterer will coach the 15U boys team, with Kainoa Wade, the Star-Advertiser’s two-time reigning All-State Player of the Year, serving as assistant coach.

Kainoa Wade has been with the club since its founding in 2013.

“For me, it’s giving back to the kids and the community because I was once in their position,” Kainoa Wade said. “I remember Jakob (Thelle) and Filip Humler were two of my first coaches. They were role models for me and I looked up to them for a long time. I want to be that role model for the kids growing up now.”

Matias and UH freshman Adrianna Arquette, the Star-Advertiser’s reigning All-State Player of the Year, will coach the 13U girls team.

Sophomore Tali Hakas will coach the 14U girls team.

“Giving back sounds cheesy, but honestly I started where these girls are in their careers – at 12 and 13 years old,” Matias said. “It’s really important to teach them good technique from the beginning and that’s something I’m really passionate about as a coach.”

Nusterer, who grew up in Indiana, said he didn’t have many resources in the college recruiting process and made “big mistakes” that nearly derailed his college career.

His experience as a volleyball club coach also includes preparing players and their families for the process so that they do not experience the same problems.

“I committed to a school and then backed out and that cost me a lot of scholarship opportunities,” Nusterer said. “I just want to be an advocate for the players and the parents because usually they’re going through the recruiting process for the first time and I want to make sure they get as many resources from me as possible.”

Tryouts for boys and girls ages 12 and 13 begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Girls ages 14, 15 and 16 play from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and boys ages 14 and 15 play from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Participants are requested to arrive at least 15 minutes beforehand.

Registration information is available at aoakoavolley.com.