He looks like he stumbled into the gym while searching for the library.

But Nejc Zemljak, the Hawaii setter from Slovenia, doesn't just belong on the volleyball court. At key points of matches he often owns it.

Jonas Umlauft, Josh Walker and Matt Rawson are the high-flying killers and blockers who catch your eye. But forget about Zemljak and you might find a ball on your nose.

Nejc is pronounced “;Nates.”; When I suggest “;Nails”; as a nickname for him to his coach, as in “;tough as,”; Charlie Wade laughs.

“;When I think of tough guys in sports, I think of the triplets from that hockey movie ('Slap Shot'), the Hanson Brothers,”; Wade said. “;I think of Bill Laimbeer.”;

True, Zemljak is by no means your classic goon, or any kind of goon. He's thin, and at 6-foot-2 he's short compared to all his teammates and opponents except the liberos.

But he's mentally strong, and it translates to his game. He's the kind of player who just seems to mostly fade into the background even though he touches the ball nearly every time it comes to the Hawaii side of the net, as he enables the hitters with quality sets. Then, all of a sudden, he makes a big play of his own ... whether it be a surprise kill or a great serve for an ace — like the match-winner against Pepperdine on Saturday propelling UH into the MPSF semifinals Thursday at Stanford.

“;Nejc is a gamer. He's a bright guy and an absolute student of the game,”; Wade said. “;He's always very much in the moment. And when you're in the moment, that's when you make big plays.”;

As a kid Zemljak started out “;like everyone else where I'm from,”; playing soccer. Then it was tennis, and that's part of why he's an outstanding server of volleyballs.

“;Very similar, same process,”; Wade said. “;And he's good not only because he scores a lot, but his percentage of getting it in. It's not only velocity. He's really good at moving it around; he knows who to serve at, how to find the seams.”;

Whenever I see Zemljak, I think sweet revenge. My mind goes back to an early-season match against USC, then the No. 1-ranked team in the nation.

The Trojans ragged Zemljak in the early going, benchies shouting “;Aflac,”; each time he served. I'm a little slow, so it took a couple of times to pick up on it; apparently they felt Zemljak looked like a duck or his serves were wounded ducks, or both, hence the reference to the insurance company represented by a spokesmallard.

This went on for quite some time ... until a Trojan forgot to, well, duck.

Zemljak caught USC by surprise with a swing instead of a set, catching the setter flush in the face. After that, no more “;Aflac.”; And it was an emotional turning point as the Warriors went on to win a huge January confidence-builder.

Zemljak said he didn't hear the taunts. “;You block that stuff out.”;

And he wasn't aiming. “;No, It was just a coincidence. I think he was expecting something else and tried to adjust and it hit him in the head.”;

Well, regardless of intent, the Trojans lost their strut. And Zemljak's waddle wasn't so funny to them anymore.

For a rare moment, the unassuming-looking former tennis player turned volleyball into a contact sport.

But he, too, laughed at the idea of being a tough guy.

“;I read about a study that said athletes in net sports are actually more aggressive,”; Zemljak said. “;Who knows?”;

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Reach Star-Bulletin sports columnist Dave Reardon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), his “;Quick Reads”; blog at starbulletin.com, and twitter.com/davereardon.