Tread Rosenthal made the bold decision to leave high school early and join Hawaii’s men’s volleyball team at the age of 17. This risk paid off when he was named Big West Freshman of the Year, a first for the Hawaii men’s volleyball program. Standing at 6-foot-8, Rosenthal hails from Manhattan Beach, California and is a member of the U.S. junior national team. Throughout the season, he demonstrated his skills by earning All-Big West first-team honors and receiving a record six Big West Freshman of the Week awards. Despite some rookie mistakes, Rosenthal excelled in various aspects of the game, leading the team in service aces and assists per set. Unfortunately, UH’s season came to an end in the Big West semifinals at the hands of UC Irvine, marking the end of their four-year NCAA Tournament appearance streak. The NCAA Tournament is set to begin on April 30 at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid where teams will compete for the national title. Brian McInnis covers Hawaii’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii and can be contacted at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.