COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team moved one step closer to a national title after sweeping UC Santa Barbara in an all-Big West Conference NCAA Tournament semifinal at the Covelli Center.
The Rainbow Warriors (16-1), coming off their first loss of the season in the Big West Tournament semifinals, displayed a blocking exhibition, totaling 13.5 team blocks and had six aces to keep the Gauchos off-balance.
UH now advances to the national title for the second consecutive tournament and fourth time in program history. Hawai'i will meet BYU, who needed four sets to defeat Lewis in the day's second semifinal.
AVCA Player of the Year
Rado Parapunov led the Warrior offensive attack with 12 kills and posted his second double-double of the season with 11 digs. The Sofia, Bulgaria native also tallied five blocks and an ace. Middle blocker
Patrick Gasman anchored the defensive effort with a team-leading six blocks along with 10 kills, and no errors in 16 attempts.
Outside hitter
Colton Cowell added 10 kills and setter
Jakob Thelle served three aces.
The Gauchos (16-5) were led by Randy DeWeese, who finished with 13 kills.
Hawai'i won for the fourth time over UCSB this season. The teams met three times in Santa Barbara, Calif., and all resulting in UH victories. After dropped the first set of the series opener, UH went on to win 12 straight sets over the Gauchos.
The match-up was the first ever between the teams in the NCAA Tournament. After the teams traded leads three times in the early going of Set 1, the Warriors surged ahead at 21-18 after an ace by Thelle. A Gasman-
Chaz Galloway double block made it 123-19 and the Warriors ended it with another block – their sixth of the set – to win the opening frame.
UH scored the first three points of Set 2 and built an 11-5 lead after a four-point spurt which included a pair of blocks by
Guilherme Voss. Hawai'i never trailed in the set and totaled five more blocks to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In Set 3, the teams traded leads five times until Thelle's serving helped the Warriors score six straight for a 17-12 lead. The Gauchos pulled within two after a Keenan Sanders kill at 22-20 and again at 23-22 after a Roy McFarland kill. But a Sanders service error gave UH match point and Parapunov closed out the match with his 12
th kill.
UH also advanced to the national title match in 1996, 2002, and most recently in 2019 falling in four sets to host Long Beach State. Hawai'i is now 4-2 all-time in the national semifinals
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