This week’s cutie is 20 year old Kolby Kanetake, a junior at UH studying Kinesiology. If you’re a fan of volleyball, you might recognize his name. Kolby wears the number 6 jersey as the starting libero for the men’s volleyball team here at the University of Hawaii, and his motivation and love for the game is something everyone can appreciate.
Kolby started playing volleyball when he was just seven years old, and even at a young age, his passion for the game is what drove him to keep playing. In high school, Kolby showed his versatility, playing almost every position on the court, from setter to libero to outside hitter. In his junior year of high school, Kolby contacted the coaches at UH and a year later he was offered the libero position on the team. Since starting college athletics, Kolby has worked hard to stay motivated and continue spreading his love of volleyball on and off the court.
Kolby says that the intensity and adrenaline he feels on the court, especially when playing in front of his friends and family, is his favorite part about volleyball. But friends and family don’t only help Kolby enjoy the game, they’re a huge part of his motivation. “My motivation is to do my job to the best of my ability so that my team has the best chance to be successful. Also to make my family, friends and the state of Hawaii proud.” Kolby says that playing for all the fans, friends, and family that come to the games is the best part about playing for UH. Kolby loves to have the chance to make the state of Hawai’i proud, and his accomplishments in volleyball has helped him achieve this. From his sophomore to senior year in high school, Kolby was an All Conference first team selection and was named to the AVCA high school All American watch list. He also made the Star Advertiser Fab 15 list his junior and senior years of high school. In college he was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation player of the week in February of 2015.
Besides playing for UH, Kolby is also involved in volleyball elsewhere. “Volleyball is a huge part of my life. I spent quite a lot of time coaching club, helping out at my former high school, as well as clinics and camps.” Kolby stays involved with the community while still maintaining the title of a collegiate athlete. There are pros and cons to every situation and Kolby says that being able to play the sport he loves is the best part about being a college athlete, however, the amount of time it takes up is a big downfall. Kolby says that “time management is definitely key.” After graduation, he plans to play professionally if given the opportunity, but if not he wants to get more involved in coaching or pursue further academic education at grad school for sports psychology.
If you ever find yourself at a UH men’s volleyball game, you’re bound to see plenty of fans sporting signs and shirts with Kolby’s name and number (and maybe his face) on them. With his involvement throughout the community and his dedication to the game, it’s not hard to see how he built a large fan base. Being a collegiate athlete takes more than just skills in a sport, but dedication to the team, the school, and to yourself as well. When asked what’s the one thing he will take away from playing at UH, Kolby replied with, “Knowing what it takes to reach different goals in life. I learned that you have to work extremely hard for anything you want in life no matter what it is, nothing is handed to you.” Kolby’s motivation and dedication is something we can all learn from, and the Her Campus team at UH wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors!