BELMONT, N.C. – Despite playing without two All-American starters, the No. 1-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team still managed to sweep Belmont Abbey, Thursday, in a sold-out Wheeler Center. Set scores were 25-18, 25-18, 25-21.
Setter
Jakob Thelle and outside hitter
Spyros Chakas missed the match for the Rainbow Warriors (6-0) who extended their win streak to 15 matches. UH also improved to 9-0 all-time against Conference Carolinas teams heading into Saturday's match-up with Barton.
Outside hitter
Chaz Galloway and opposite
Dimitrios Mouchlias each had eight kills to lead the Warriors.
Keoni Thiim made his first career start in place of Chakas and finished with six kills, five digs, and three blocks.
Brett Sheward recorded a match-high 11 digs.
As a team, the Warriors hit for a season-low .297 and served only three aces – including two by
Austin Buchanan late in Set 3. Hawai'i out-blocked its opponent for the first time this season with 8.5 blocks to BAC's four but also committed 16 service errors. Buchanan made his second straight start in place of Thelle.
Before a raucous standing room only crowd, the Crusaders (1-6) hit .111 as a team and were led by Matteo Miselli who finished with 12 kills.
UH led 8-5 to open Set 1 before the Crusaders scored three straight to even the score. The teams traded side-outs until a 3-0 run by the Warriors made it 13-10. UH's third block of the game gave them a 21-17 lead and the Warriors used a 6-1 run to close out the set.
Sophomore
Kurt Nusterer entered the lineup at middle blocker in Set 2 and immediately made his presence felt with a pair of kills. Three more UH points put the Warriors on top 9-3 before the Crusaders closed to within two at 11-9. Hawai'i responded with a four-point spurt for a 15-9 lead. BAC trimmed the deficit back down to two but the Warriors scored consecutive points for a 19-15 lead. Consecutive kills by Galloway made it 22-16 and the Warriors sided-out to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
More lineup changes for Hawai'i allowed the Crusaders to keep it close in Set 3. The teams traded points for the first part of the set. UH led 15-14 at the media timeout but the Crusaders rallied with a 4-1 run and an 18-16 lead. BAC led by as much as three before Hawai'i scored seven straight – behind Buchanan's serving – for a 24-20 lead.
UH concludes its road trip to the state of North Carolina with a non-conference match-up at Barton, Saturday in Wilson, N.C.
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