HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team announced three new signings for the 2024 season: setter Kevin Kauling, hitter Aleksa Mandic and opposite Oguzhan Oguz.
“We are very excited to sign Kevin, Oguzhan and Aleksa”, head coach charlie wade saying. “All of them are very experienced players in their own right and are committed to being the best players they can be. They show great character and work ethic, that will help us on and off the pitch. We are very excited for the upcoming season.” and seeing them help continue the success of our program.”
Kauling spent the past four seasons at Lewis and will have one year of eligibility remaining. The Naperville, Ill., native earned second-team AVCA All-America honors in 2022 and was an honorable mention in 2020 and 2021. A three-time second-team Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association honoree, he started the first 19 team games last season. before being sidelined with injury for the rest of the season. In 87 career games with the Flyers, Kauling recorded 2,624 assists, 233 kills, 57 aces, 352 digs, and 181 blocks.
Mandic is one of the best youth players in Serbia and currently plays for Partizan. The Belgrade native began playing top level competitions at a young age in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia. He was twice named Serbia’s Best Young Player and helped his teams win the Serbian Cup three times. His teams were twice league finalists and once winners of the Serbian Super Cup.
Oguz played one season at Jamestown University, an NAIA school in North Dakota. A native of Bursa, Turkey, Oguz led the team in spikes averaging 4.20 per set and posted double-figure spike totals in 21 of 24 matches. He also had a team-high 31 aces and averaged 1.31 digs per set while hitting a .314 clip. In his only season at Jamestown, Oguz earned NAIA All-America honorable mention honors and helped the team capture the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship and qualify for the national tournament.
Additionally, Ryan Sears will join the program in 2024. A 5-foot-11 sweeper from Redondo Beach, California, Sears trained at Redondo Union High School and played club volleyball for Pinnacle Athletics Club. He was a member of the Under-19 National Training Team last summer.
A total of seven newcomers will join the team in 2024.
| 2024 new arrivals | ||||
| Name | pos. | height | cl. | Hometown/Previous School |
| kevin kauling | S | 6-8 | Gram. | Naperville, IL/Lewis |
| Alexa Mandic | OH/OPP | 6-5 | Father | Belgrade, Serbia / Belgrade Medical College |
| Oguzhan Oguz | OPP | 6-8 | So. | Bursa, Türkiye / Jamestown |
| kai rodriguez | ooh | 6-4 | Father | Gilroy, Calif. / Moanalua [HI] SA |
| ryan sears | L | 5-11 | Father | Redondo Beach, CA / Redondo Union HS |
| justin todd | ooh | 6-8 | Father | Houston, Texas / Moanalua [HI] SA |
| zack yewchuk | OPP | 6-7 | Father | Surrey, BC, Canada / Moanalua [HI] SA |
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