WAILUKU, Maui – University of Hawai'i Athletics Director Jim Donovan and Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares announced the details of a men's volleyball match to be held on the Valley Island in February during a press conference Monday at the Mayor's Office.

 

The match will be played at 2,900-seat War Memorial Gym, Saturday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m. One day earlier, Hawai'i and BYU will play at the Stan Sheriff Center. Both matches count toward the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings.

 

Ticket prices for the Maui match are $8 (adults) and $3 (UH system students with valid ID and students ages 4-high school) and will be available beginning Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office, 944-2697 and HawaiiAthletics.com. All seats are general admission.

 

The match will mark the first time UH will host a ticketed regular season match on Maui in any sport since the football team opened the 2001 season against Montana. In 2003, the Rainbow Warrior basketball team participated in the Maui Invitational which was hosted by Chaminade University. UH's tennis teams have also played there in recent years.

 

“We're excited to be able to take our men's volleyball team to Maui to play an important conference match,” Donovan said. “BYU has been a rival for many of our teams and men's volleyball is no different. We're thankful for Hawaiian Airlines' support of UH Athletics throughout the years and Mayor Tavares and Senator (Shan) Tsutsui for making this event possible. Our Maui fans will be treated to high quality volleyball and I know Coach (Charlie) Wade will have his team ready to put on a show for them.”

 

“This is a unique opportunity for our community and I'm excited that our youth and our enthusiastic volleyball fans will have a chance to enjoy college-level action here on Maui,” Mayor Tavares said. “As someone who has played sports most of my life and throughout college, I am especially grateful that this opportunity has been made possible by the support of the University of Hawai'i, Hawaiian Airlines, Senator Tsutsui and the UH athletics coaching staff who have all helped to make this a reality for us.”

 

“By bringing UH athletics to the neighbor islands, the university is supporting our Maui community in many ways,” said Senator Shan Tsutsui, a UH Manoa alum, who was instrumental in bringing the game to his hometown. “Our local school athletics programs are filled with enthusiastic young fans who will have a chance to experience collegiate volleyball and gain an understanding of the many opportunities in sports that are available to them at the state's largest university.”

 

“Hawaiian is proud to help bring this great event to Maui, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the game,” said Glenn Taniguchi, Hawaiian Airlines senior vice president for marketing and sales.

 

“We pride ourselves as being Hawai'i's team and this is an excellent opportunity to showcase our squad in front of our fans on Maui,” said Charlie Wade, UH men's volleyball head coach. “The neighbor islands are rich in volleyball talent we're thrilled to be able to bring the highest level of college volleyball there.”

 

Season ticket renewals for the 2010 men's volleyball season will be mailed out within the next week. New season ticket sales begin Dec. 14.