All-American setter commits to Hawai’i as grad student transfer

Photo courtesy of Lewis athletics

Hawai’i will have an All-American setter on its roster next season.

Setter Kevin Kauling announced via social media Friday that they will join the Rainbow Warriors as a graduate transfer for the 2024 season.

Kauling helped lead Lewis to the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2021 and guided the offense to the third-best attack percentage in the nation at .340. The setter running a 6-2 offense for part of the 2022 season also had double-digit kills in two matches and averaged 7.80 assists per game en route to earning Second-Team All-American honors.

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Lewis utilized multiple starting setters last season resulting in limited playing time for Kauling.

Kauling will be vying to replace graduated setter Jakob Thelle in the Rainbow Warriors starting lineup.

Thelle, the 2023 National Player of the Year and 2023 Lloy Ball Award winner, had a nation-best 10.67 assists per game average last season and helped Hawai’i finish second in the country hitting .367. In addition, Thelle’s college career featured leading the Rainbow Warriors to back-to-back NCAA championships and an appearance in the most recent NCAA Tournament finals.

Among the starters slated to return for Rainbow Warriors next season include All-American middle attacker Guilherme Voss and All-Big West outside attacker Chaz Galloway.