HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team made quick work of British Columbia winning in straight sets, 25-17, 25-17, 25-19, Friday in the first of two exhibition matches at the Stan Sheriff Center. 
 
The teams play again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Rainbow Warriors found their rhythm offensively early on and finished the match hitting .291 with six service aces. UH held UBC, the defending Canadian national champion, to .098 hitting.
 
Hawai'i got it most production from outside hitters Colton Cowell and Stijn van Tilburg, who finished with 10 and nine kills, respectively. Middle blockers Dalton Solbrig (6) and Patrick Gasman (5) combined for 11 kills with the latter in on all four of the team's blocks. Setter Joe Worsley posted a double-double with 25 assists and a match-high 14 digs.
 
James Takken and Nick Mickelberry each had six kills for UBC.
 
UH scored six of seven points for a 7-2 lead to start the match. The lead ballooned to 17-8 after van Tilburg's fourth kill and reached double-digits following Rado Parapunov's ace. The Warriors held on and hit .429 in the set.
 
For the second straight game, UH jumped out to a 7-2 lead and again the lead reached double-figures at 18-8. The Thunderbirds rallied back and pulled to within five at 19-14 after back-to-back hitting errors by Cowell before the Warriors out-scored the Thunderbirds 6-3 down the stretch. 
 
The Thunderbirds stayed even with the Warriors for the early part of Set 3 before UH scored four unanswered, capped by a Brett Rosenmeier ace for a 10-6 lead. Moments later, the Warriors bunched together six straight for a 19-10 lead and Cowell's 10^thkill ended the match.