HONOLULU – The top-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team needed five sets to put away UC Irvine, Friday in the first of two Big West Conference matches at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26, 15-13.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (14-0, 9-0 BWC) extended their overall win streak to 15 matches and moved one win closer to finishing with an undefeated regular season for the first time in program history. A win on Saturday in the rematch would also give UH an undefeated conference record for just the third time in school history and first in the Big West.
 
In a match that was decided by 11 total points and lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes, the Warriors wasted a two sets to none lead by succumbing to the Anteaters (2-12, 2-7) in Sets 3 and 4. 
 
It was the Rado Parapunov Show in Set 5 as the senior opposite had nine of the team's 11 kills, while hitting .750 with no errors in 12 swings. The teams matched side-out for side-out as the score was tied 12 times in the final set and no lead was greater than one point. After a UCI service error gave Hawai'i match point, it was outside hitter Colton Cowell who put the finishing touches on the victory with his season-high 17^th kill. 
 
Parapunov, who had only three kills after Set 2, recorded 22 in the final three sets. The Sofia, Bulgaria native hit .426 for the match and moved into the school's Top 10 in career kills. Cowell hit .393 for the match and added six digs and three blocks. Middle blocker Patrick Gasman tallied nine kills on .583 hitting and Gage Worsley had a match-high 11 digs.
 
Four Anteaters finished with double-figure kills led by Joel Schneidmiller's 20 on .500 hitting. As a team, UCI hit .417 for the match, compared to .370 for Hawai'i, and had seven blocks to UH's five.
 
In the first three sets, UCI took 15-14 leads at the media timeout. In Set 1, a four-point scoring run by the Warriors, which included a ace by Jakob Thelle, gave them a 21-17 cushion. In Set 2, another four-point spurt, capped by an overpass kill by Cowell, made it 20-16.
 
In Set 3, UCI used a 4-1 run which included back-to-back kills by Alexandre Nsakanda and an ace by Cole Gillis for a 24-22 lead. The Anteaters took a commanding lead in Set 4 before the Warriors slowing chipped away and tied the score at 20 after consecutive kills by Parapunov. The teams traded side-outs until Cowell was blocked on set point.
 
 
The teams play again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Following the match, six seniors will be honored in the traditional Senior Night ceremony – Cowell, Gasman, Parapunov, Worsley, Jackson Van Eekeren, and student assistant James Anastassiades.