 I'm Rusty Kamori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou School Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books, Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game, and it's about inspiration, welcoming adversity, and building a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year and a two-time NCAA National Volleyball Champion. He is Jacob Tella, and today we are going beyond national championships. Hey, Jacob, welcome back to Beyond the Lines. Hello, Rusty. Good to see you again. Happy to be here. Jacob, are you sure there's no more years of eligibility left with you? I wish, and if there is one, I'll take it. 100%. Oh, Jacob, I mean, there's going to be some big shoes to fill. Just like I had in my freshman year, we're Joe Worsley, but as we've seen, there's always grass growing up through the occasion and really taking that leadership role in early. So I'm happy to be an alumni now and follow the team throughout the year, so I cannot wait for next year. Well, you're so right. That's what great teams do. That's why you guys have such a superior culture of excellence. And, Jacob, you grew up in Norway. What are some of the comparisons or differences between Norway and Hawaii? I guess there's a lot more differences than a likeness to Hawaii, just overall the whole environment. There's, well, winter and nine months of the year. Norway and here is the summer all year, so it's a lot different. But for the things that are similar, at least, I'd say that, well, a lot of ocean and I've always felt connected to the oceans and just having that really close to where I'm from. It's always been important to me and I always just feel that I can do everything outside. So I love to spend time outside, go hiking, go to the beach and do all these things with a lot of good friends of mine. And I said, why? I've got a lot of close people and family that are just really important to me now in Hawaii. Oh, for sure. And, Jacob, is there poke in Norway? Not yet, but that's one of my long-term dreams is to open a poke shop. So maybe we'll see one in Norway. If not, I'll come back to Hawaii and start one here. So I'm excited. I love seafood, so poke has become a really main diet for me. Just eating poke for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which I did today. I had it for breakfast and I love it. Jacob, I have no doubt you're going to open up a poke store in Norway and probably one in Hawaii, right? Yep. And you better be there to be one of the first customers. Hope to see the rest of you. I will be. I will be in. Jacob, I want to ask you. I mean, you and your teams made it to four consecutive national championship finals, winning two of them. What are some specific reasons why you think your teams made it to the championship finals and then you won two national championships? Yeah, I mean, a lot goes into that. And just putting yourself up for success on a daily basis is probably the biggest key. So really just creating the right habits that you can follow throughout the years and just doing all those little things right. Because if you do that and then throughout a couple of weeks and months, you'll see a big difference and you'll see that yourself, you're going to grow and you're going to learn a lot about yourself and the team you're surrounding yourself with. But overall, it's just doing about those little things every day, right? And then your experience success later on. I completely agree. I always say little things matter, little victories matter. And those little victories lead to big victories. And when I watch you guys through the last four years, I mean, there's incredible teamwork and you guys have such great togetherness on, I mean, not just with the players on the floor, but even the players that are on the sidelines watching, what are your thoughts about that? Yeah, I mean, for us and the team, it's a brotherhood. And it's something that we've been embracing throughout the years about being there for each other, having each other's back and just really working together as a unit to become the best that we could be as a team and also individually. But it's all about the people that are around the team and that make things happen. So we're just really connected to our community, to our fans. The coaches are always there for us. We work together as a unit to be successful. So I think just how close we are on the court and off the court has really helped us to get to that level. So, Jacob, I always wondered this. After every point, I see your teammates, you guys all get together arm in arm. What are you specifically talking about when you guys are together like that after the point? Usually, we'll talk about what we're going to eat after the game. So we're all discussing what we're going to eat. Now, on a real note, we're always talking about the game plan and just really making sure we're ready for the next point. So it's all these little key information that will be given to each other. And we try to encourage each other to really just play our best game. And yeah, after one point is over, it's the next point that matters the most. So just really being focused on the next point, it's key to the game. So what are some specific details that you guys would talk about like once the point's done? Like what are you planning? What are you talking about for the next point? Yeah, so all that when we're in the game, it all comes down to tactics and executing our game plan. So it'll be anything from blocking to how we want to play our defense based off the serve. It's all a team effort, so we might have to make sure that everyone's on the same page on that tactical game plan. Nice. And Yacob, let's talk about setting. I mean, you are the best setter in the country. And I mean, there's times where I see you running left and then you are back setting all the way to the far right. I mean, how do you do that? Just gotta rip it out. You gotta get comfortable doing what's uncomfortable for a lot of setters. And for me, I've been working out a lot of years. I wouldn't say I was able to make those sets a couple years ago, but just from being able to be in the practice gym, a lot of the time at working with my hitters, I've been able to gain that trust and to gain that connection with my hitters. And yeah, I mean, I like to, well, being a setter is just, it's so tactical and it's so based off decision-making. So just really thinking about all the options that you have when you're in the game and trying to work around your risk-reward zone. So for me, it's like I'll prepare a lot, practically for the games and also see what I can do to be creative because that's also an important part about setting, but I'm always more tired mentally and physically after a game. And I think that says a lot about the position itself. Yeah, I mean, literally, like you said, I mean, it comes down to preparation. You've done those sets thousands of times just because, I mean, that's something that's completely under your control. And you want to actually try to achieve mastery. And for you, how fun is it to have so many of those options as hitters when you're setting? Yeah, I mean, I'm fortunate to have the best guys for their precision in the country and being able to have like that dynamic of a skill set that we have in the team is just unique. And we're trying to take advantage of that as much as possible. So that is kind of my job as a quarterback and the team to really put up those plays in the offense that will make us be effective. And for us, it's been a lot of based off quick sets, but it's been able to do the hard work and also be good when we're more often at has been, has been really key to our team. And I think it's been, well, it's been a lot of fun just to develop our offense because things have changed a lot over the years. So just having that confidence with each other has been a blessing to be around those guys that we have with the team. Oh, that's for sure. I mean, it's so exciting to be in the arena, watching you guys and it's so special. I mean, just the feeling of it and the camaraderie. And I wanna ask you about serving. I mean, you are now the all-time ace leader in serves at the University of Hawaii. And you, Yacob, you're the one that's starting the game every time, serving. And I'm thinking, yeah, Yacob, here we go. And right before you serve, what specifically is your serving routine? Select to give a good look in the ball and give it a kiss and then know it's on my side. No, I usually have a routine that's just bouncing the ball. Really, I just take the time to really just break the game down and think about how I can get the team out of the net and just put up the best way for a team to score the point. But I always kind of just take a second to myself and think about the best serve that I can put on, put on the court and put pressure from the beginning. So I love serving because it's so just controlled of what you're doing with the ball. And it's all just you and the balls, that's all you have to worry about. Then just getting your right toss and then jumping into it and hitting it, just being confident. So yeah, I love serving and it's something I've done throughout the years that, yeah, probably one of the most fun things about playing volleyball is just serving. And Jakob, I would assume that you again, like you said about setting preparation. I mean, you practice thousands and thousands of serves, right? I have, I think just being able to put as many reps, repetitions into the game as you possibly can, whether it's, well, different parts of the game, like serving, blocking, defense, it all helps your game in. For me, preparation is pretty much everything because if you don't prepare, then you're gonna get caught in the game and you kind of like don't have the plan in, you're getting lost, but just being one step ahead is always important. It's like playing chess, but also do a lot. It's so important to kind of build that strategy and really know what's gonna happen in the game on your side or the other side. So just really building that anticipation skill, it's become important. And Jakob, after the national anthem and maybe during Hawaii Ponoi, I see you often looking around into the audience. What are you looking at or who are you looking at and why? That's a good question. First of all, I just love to look around and kind of just have gratitude for the environment that we're in. So singing the Hawaii Ponoi, it's always like you're singing for your home, your family and the people that are around you. So I love to just share that moment with looking around and just having that joy and the aloha that we hear from everyone really joining us in the game. And then I always like to look around and see, well, look at the future. There's always take you watching a game. So I wanna be one of the, well, inspirations for them. So I really just try to share that moment with them and also inspire them throughout the game. So that gives me like a little extra boost, but the Hawaii Ponoi is guaranteed chicken skin woman for me and it's been something that I really found in Hawaii that is just unique and it makes me feel at home. And Yacob, over this past weekend, you and your teammates went and did a clinic for some youth volleyball, right? We did. We just had a clinic in couple of days ago and it was great. It was mostly because a couple of us on a team are leaving like Demetrius living back to Greece today and Spiritus also headed out. So just being able to get back to the Kiki because really always we tell each other that we always do for the Kiki and they are the future and just being able to get back for everything that we got. Personally, I feel like I've got pretty much everything coming to Hawaii from the people. So just being there for the community and be that source of inspiration for the future has been, yeah, it's a really giving moment. So I just really take a lot of pride in helping the future of Hawaii volleyball that is so bright. There's a lot of great athletes and Kiki out there that will take Hawaii to the next level. Oh, that's so great of you and your teammates and you and your teammates are such an inspiration to so many of our youth. And Yacob, you have both of my books. I wanna ask you, what are some things that you think the books have helped you with? I think the books have really just helped elevate my mental game because in sports, things get so mental. Like it's something that George Walker, previous assistant coach at Hawaii has been saying a lot that everything is mental, but really I just wanted to add throughout the years that really just being a little bit better mentally also helps yourself prepare physically and be at your best while you're on the court. So just really the books has helped me gain that like little extra confidence and really be in the game. Like when you're at a certain like tight score that you're always gonna be ahead and that you are the best you could possibly be both physically and mentally. So I really enjoyed reading your books and that's really helped my mental game a lot. So I appreciate that. It's really good information out there to start recommending the books to everybody who's either inspired to do better in life on and off the court. Yeah, it's really about life's lessons and striving for that superior culture of excellence that I always say and having those superior discipline details. That's what's gonna make you even more elite, right, Yacob? 100% I could not, I love to read but those books are the ones that are the most just effective at reading and having an information and it really brings you 1% better from reading those books. So I'm just happy to be able to do that. No, I love that you brought up right there the my 1% principle and Yacob, I wanna ask you about Coach Charlie Wade. What are some things and some reasons why Coach Charlie is an effective coach? Yeah, so Coach Charlie is really an effective coach just breaking the game down to a couple of things that you have to focus on. He always talks about the how when we develop our game plan and how you can make a better play, how you can also make plays and just be good in the moment, but he's really the leader of our culture and he's been embracing that, well, the local culture of Hawaii and how everything is important and what you do and on off the court and you have to be a great student athlete. So it's not just about what you're doing on the court but also in the classroom and the way you present yourself to the community. So it's really helped all of us has become great overall men. So he's been really important to make me more grown and the best version of myself. Yeah, no, I completely see that. And for me as a coach, my top priority was to develop champion athletes of character first and then great tennis players second. And I can see Coach Charlie doing the exact same thing which I admire so much. And Jacob, I wanna ask you about that epic senior night. I was there and wow, I mean, all of the fans was a sold out arena. And all of the fans stayed to the very end. I mean, tell me about that senior night and how special it was for you. Yeah, I mean, I don't know where to start without crying. It's so special. And it was the first game that I watched on YouTube that I got inspired to come to the U.S. and to play for Hawaii. Where I would watch senior night of the former U.S. middle blocker, Henrik Maul and I always just, wow, this is incredible. And the environment that we're able to play and it's just unique and it's something that I can now take for granted. So just having that senior night myself, it was just, it came so quickly because I didn't know that five years and go that fast but it did. So being there on the court, having the senior night, it was, yeah, emotional and just felt the connection with the fans and everybody just really showing the aloha. And being able to do that, I find it's a sell out crowd. It's just, it's unique. It's something you get in the world. So I was really happy to have that experience and had that moment with our seniors and the team and all the fans that came to watch the game. Well, I'll tell you, Jakob, I had chicken skin there. I mean, how about you guys? Same, I had chicken skin for the entire game. I can tell you that straight up. So it's just being able to play the game. But then after that, it's just all the emotions just kind of let go and yeah, just being free out there. You gotta, I'm always being myself on the court and off the court. So just having that moment with everybody in there is just, yeah, it's not that I'm remembering for the rest of my life. Oh, for sure. And Jakob, I wanna ask you maybe some things about your teammates specifically. If you can share some details or a quick story or something that maybe the public doesn't know. And I wanna first start off with Demetrius Muklius. Demi, yeah, Demi's my man. It's been a lot of fun to set that guy. He's so unique, he's dynamic and he's one of the quickest hitters I've ever played with my life, but we have been able to work that out. And I think just the funniest part that I have from him is that he always, he's hungry for the ball. So once I get a one set, he will just get even more hungry for the next one that he will come up to me and he will kind of take my and like pose me out and like tell me like, hey, Jakob, I want the next ball. Demi, the next ball again. And he will just always make this call in his shoulder that probably a lot of you have seen that throughout the game. He's always calling for the ball, he's always into it. So, yeah, love Demi. So when Demi misses, is he wanting the ball back on the next one? Even more so, then he will grab me and he will kind of shake me like, hey, you better step in the next one because I'm gonna kill the ball. I'm like, Demi, I love that. You just been there, which is not too often by the way, but I always know that if he makes one error, he will kill the next one. And he usually does, right? He always does. Yeah. That's the golden rule. He always does. Well, and that's the mindset of champions. I mean, when he misses, it's like, I want this. I want it back right now. I want to like redeem myself. And I want to ask you what your thoughts are about Speedos-Hakas. Yep. Another Greek freak on the team where I could have two of them just really, Spiros is an incredible player and he's always been really up in the leadership position and he's always taken the team to where I want to go. So he always brings that confidence. He never has a taste on a single play that he makes and he brings a lot of calmness into the team. So it's really an important piece of our team. So, Jakob, what's something about Speedos that the public doesn't know? Well, one is one thing that the public doesn't know about Spiros. I don't really know. Well, he's actually a pretty decent basketball player from what I've seen in the gym. Really? Well, I mean, he's just, he's an incredible athlete. He loves to follow sport. I can say, well, one thing that I can say is it doesn't need enough pocket because pocket is, you know, it's a fuel. Fuel by pocket, hashtag right there. It doesn't need enough of it, but I know that next year he will really do that and it will take him. It'll take him to the next championship, but I love Spiros. He's such an awesome guy and, yep, loving. Fuel by pocket. Fuel by pocket, that is the hashtag. But living by it for the past five years. It's probably, your fuel of pocket probably rubbed off on Speedos by now or it's going to, right? I think so, probably because my mouth had been smelling so much pocket in the game. So it really translated the rest of the guys in the team. Okay, so Jakob, tell me about Cole Hoglund. Cole? He's a, yeah, the most dynamic middle walker that I've ever played with. He can make the craziest jumps from left to right and just his skill set is unique. He's undersized for his position, but he really makes it up in so many ways, offensively and defensively. So yeah, Cole is our King Kong, really established on King Kong. People call him King Cole, right? King Cole, yep, he's a King and he makes the most incredible block moves that I've seen in my life. And I just wish I was like him, that I can make the same jump, but yep, Cole's, yeah. He's just unique in every single way. So what's something about Cole that we don't know about? I don't know. He's just a great, great local guy. He embraces the culture that his plays, his Nolo, where he's from, and we always go to the beach together. So freshman year, we're like, you had the car that would always take around and cruise beach and do all things together. Now, sadly, the car stopped working, so it's been really just heartbroken because that's like a piece of history that kind of went into the books, but yeah. That's just, the car died. The cleanest car, it died. It died? Yeah, let's just say it died. Yeah. No more can you say it, but. Well, Cole is, you know, he's such a all around, just an all around solid player, right? Yes, and he always does things with positivity. I've never seen anyone smile as much as Cole does, but it really brings joy to everyone and the team. So the fact that he's able to do that, like in the most like stressful moments, he's just there smiling and having fun. And that's what it's all about. So that's really special to Cole. Okay, so next up, Jacob, tell me about Chas Galloway. Chas, yeah. Wow, I don't know where to start. He's super gifted and he's an incredible athlete. Just the things that he can do, he's rock solid receiver and the gems that he can make to really hit the big, that's like his thing is that he can fly into the ball. Eric Galloway for a reason right there too, but he flies into the ball and he's just really developed his game a lot over the years. And it's been, yeah, it's been a gift to be with him and to practice him and he's really pushing all of us to become better. You know, I talked with him last week at the Giovanni Pastrami get-together with the Hawaii men's volleyball team and you as well. And that was the one comment I told Chas was, I mean, when he gets up there, I mean, he is like Air Jordan. I mean, it is Air Galloway. And I'm so happy you brought that up, but is that what you guys all think? That's what we know. Nobody jumps like Chas does. So he's just, yeah, he's on a different level compared to everyone else in the country and also probably the world that, yeah, his skill set is just something you don't see every day at all. It comes once in a generation. So he really has that gift and he's using it really well and it'll be a lot more to see from next season. Oh yeah, totally looking forward to that. And Jakob, I want to ask you about Galloway Voss. Tell me about Voss. Voss, Voss the boss. That's the sign that we see a lot in the arena, but really he's the boss. He may look like he's 35 years old now, but really inside he's just a young kid that loves to have fun and he really just has fun out there and he does his job really, really well. And I can always, I know that I can always trust him on different sets. So especially with him I would run far with and then I also just try to fling it in right to his arm and he will bounce the ball. But yeah, G is an incredible guy, credible, also a student. He will be in the library pretty much for a whole day if he has to work for and prepares for his final. So he really takes everything really important to him and yeah, he's also probably the most emotional kind of team that we got to see tonight, just his emotions that he'll kind of let out that also made me cry because I was doing pretty good. And then I look at G and then, okay, okay, here's, it's coming out, I cannot hold myself anymore, but yeah, that just means that he's so, yeah, he has a lot for the team and the people and couldn't take that as anything more important. You're so right on senior night. I mean, Voss started crying and then all of you guys start crying and all of us in the audience, we're all crying, I mean, it just, one thing led to another right there. And then I love seeing that sign from one of the fans that they call him Vossum, right? He's Vossum, yep, he's Vossum all the way through. Now, Jakob, blocking, I wanna ask you, I mean, what I love when I'm in the audience there, I mean, there's nothing like being there. It's so different than watching it on TV. But when you guys have a fantastic block and then, I mean, everybody knows that's called a roof, but then the entire crowd in unison says roof. I mean, I love that. How does that make you and your teammates feel? Chicken skin. I get even chicken skin now talking about it, to be honest, but it just, I guess there's a huge energy boost in the game and just knowing that we're gonna work to get a block, then the reward is even bigger, hearing that roof and everyone that kind of goes together on that. But I think really blocking is arguably the best feeling and volleyball just because you feel so dominant, like getting a ball down and kind of soften their attack, it really brings a lot of extra energy into the court. And we have, just looking at the block in the picture right there, you see like the biggest triple block in the country. But I think blocking is what separates us from a lot of other teams, our ability to get a triple block and a lot of balls and is really the solid. I think it's something that you don't see a lot, but we have that and we have some of the best blockers, obviously. Yes, obviously. Obviously. So, Jakob, I wanna ask you, you know when your opponent is going for a kill? And I mean, you guys are trying to dig it up. I mean, does it hurt? Yep, but that's the beauty of it. It's got to sting a little bit to win. So you have to take some hits sometimes. I got a couple hits in my head in the game and what can I say, it feels great because I know I was right there and I was able to have a chance to dig it, but sometimes you just gotta take the hit and get ready for the next one. Yep, gotta take that next mile. Even though you got the NCAA Molten right in your head, you still gotta take that with a smile and keep trusting your defense. So, Jakob, tell me what's gonna be your future like? What's a future goal of your volleyball career now? I wanna keep playing. I don't know how long it's gonna be for until my knees are completely hemorrhaging, but I wanna play as long as I can just because I just grew up always wanted to play professional, so that's the next step for me. And yeah, I also love to get back to the community so maybe do come back for a coaching job and combine that with my bookishop. We'll see what it comes down to, but I just had a lot of fun playing volleyball and I think this is the end at all. It's just getting started for me really on a professional level. So I'm happy to take the next step and ready for the next chapter in life. Oh, I'm so excited for you. And Jakob, I wanna ask you one more thing before we wrap up. You have achieved greatness. How would you define greatness? It's a great question. I thought about this a lot and especially more after the season I really thought about what goes into success and I thought first that everything success is just about the trophies and the titles that you get, but I learned that success is not only to find what you do on the court, but also off the court. So just the people that are around you just being a source of inspiration, inspiring the future, the key key that is one of the most important things to me at least and just being a source of inspiration and influence the less of people that are around you because really it's the people that are yours around and so forth that put you up for success. So I found that the people, the community is really the keystone in success and it's the pillar. So it kind of drives you towards that goal that you have and really just fighting the right people to be around. I haven't found anything greater. I've seen success and I think it's coming through the Aloha spirit that we're able to live here in Hawaii. It's unique life and I couldn't take anything there for granted. I just had my eternal gratitude towards the people of the islands and they really been the most important piece to my success but also the team success that we had in Hawaii. Well, Jakob, you are a fantastic role model and it's been an honor watching you play for the University of Hawaii over the years and really getting to know you as a person as well. I really wanna thank you for joining me on the show today and sharing your insights. It's been the greatest honor, Rusty. Thank you for having me again. And I'm happy to go come back later too for another talk story but just really being able to share my story has been. Yeah, it's a gift and I hope that it can provide some inspiration for the future out there as well. Younger old, it's all about becoming better every single day. So that 1% rule really is important on and off the court. Just really gotta follow and live by that principle. Definitely. Thanks, Jakob. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKomori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Jakob and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and donate to us at thinktechhawaii.com. Mahalo.