Game Notes

For the second straight year, the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team has started its season 3-0 after claiming its seventh Outrigger Resorts Invitational title with straight-set wins over King (Tenn.), Harvard, and then-No. 8 Lewis. The fifth-ranked Rainbow Warriors (3-0) will take their unbeaten mark on the road for their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener against No. 12 Pepperdine, Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16. Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. HT) at Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
UH had little difficulty in claiming the tournament title without dropping a set. Hawai'i hit a combined .406 as a team over the week and recorded 18 service aces (2.00 per set) and 22 team blocks (2.44 p/s). The Warriors were led by freshman Stijn van Tilburg, who averaged 5.22 kills per set and hit a remarkable .519 to earn Off the Block/Springbak co-national freshman of the week honors. van Tilburg was also selected as the Outrigger's Most Outstanding Player while teammates Sinisa Zarkovic, Jennings Franciskovic, and Kolby Kanetake were also named all-tournament.
 
 Last season, UH swept the regular season series with Pepperdine in Honolulu before dropping a four-setter to the Waves at the MPSF Tournament semifinals in Irvine, Calif. Pepperdine (1-0) opened its 2016 season with a straight-set win over Concordia-Irvine in Malibu, with outside hitter Colby Harriman leading the way with a match-high 10 kills.
 
Matches #4-5
Who: No. 7 Hawai'i (3-0) vs. No. 12 Pepperdine (1-0)
Where: Malibu, Calif.; Firestone Fieldhouse
Television Coverage: None
Streaming Video: Available at PepperdineSports.com
Radio Coverage: None
Audio Webcast: None
Live Stats: Available at PepperdineSports.com
 
Series vs. Pepperdine: Pepperdine leads the all-time series 43-30. The Waves have won the last four meetings in Malibu, sweeping the regular season series in 2012 and '14. UH's last win in Malibu occurred March 27, 2010, a three-set sweep.