HONOLULU – The top-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team begins the Big West portion of its schedule by hosting defending regular season champion Long Beach State for a two-match series, Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors (17-1, 0-0 BWC) are coming off 2-1 finish at the OUTRIGGER Invitational which included a win over then-No. 2 UCLA in the tourney finale. The Beach (11-2, 2-0) opened Big West play last week with a pair of wins over UC Santa Barbara.
 

MATCHES #19-20
Who				#1 Hawai'i (17-1, 0-0 BWC) vs. #4 Long Beach State (11-2, 2-0 BWC)
Date | Time				Friday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. HT and Saturday, March 18, 7:00 p.m. HT
Location				Honolulu, O'ahu — SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Television				Spectrum Sports. Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (analyst).
Live Stream				ESPN+ (blacked out in Hawai'i).
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play).
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com; Sideline Hawaii app.
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | Long Beach State | Big West
Digital Program				Click here
Social Media				@HawaiiMensVB  | #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall23 | @HawaiiMVB  | Facebook

FIRST SERVE

• Hawai'i (17-1, 0-0 BWC) went 2-1 in the OUTRIGGER Invitational in Honolulu last week including a win over then-No. 2 UCLA in the tournament finale, while Long Beach State (11-2, 2-0 BWC) swept a pair of Big West matches against UC Santa Barbara — four sets in Santa Barbara and five sets in Long Beach.
• Despite suffering its first loss over the weekend, UH maintained its No. 1 ranking in the AVCA Top 15 poll for the 11th consecutive week. The Beach are No. 4 for the fifth straight week.
• UH saw several win streaks snapped in a four-set loss to Penn State last week Hawai'i's 25-match overall win streak was tied for the longest in program history while its 29-match home win streak was the longest. UH also saw its 34-match regular season home win streak snapped.
• The Beach have won their last five matches since suffering consecutive losses to UCLA, Feb. 9-10. LBSU dropped the opener in straight sets in Los Angeles and the rematch in four sets at The Pyramid in Long Beach.
• LBSU leads the all-time series, 50-47. The 97 matches are the most played against one opponent in UH history.
• The teams met four times last season. UH won the last two — in the Big West Championship title match in Honolulu and in the NCAA Tournament championship match in Los Angeles while the Beach won both regular season matches at The Pyramid en route to the regular season title.
• UH has won five straight at home in the series since 2018. Two of those wins were in the Big West Championship match (2019 & '22).
• This year marks the first time that UH will open its Big West slate with Long Beach State. In regular season matches, the Beach have won five of the eight matches.
• UH coach Charlie Wade is 14-17 against the Beach since taking over the program in 2010. In head-to-head match-ups, LBSU coach Alan Knipe has a 15-10 advantage against Wade.
• The teams won the last four NCAA championships (LBSU-2018 & '19 and UH-2021 & '22).
• UH boasts a 15-match conference home win streak dating back to 2018. Its last loss was to Long Beach State on April 13, 2018.

PROMOTIONS

• First Hawaiian Bank will sponsor Friday's match and give away over 100 black rally towels to help fans cheer on the Rainbow Warriors. At intermission, FHB will give five lucky fans prizes, including a Foodland Gift Card, an FHB shirt, and other branded items. 
• Bank of Hawai'i will sponsor Saturday's match and the first 500 BOH customers to show their credit or debit card will receive a free canvas tote bag. In addition, at intermission, three fans can win a $100, $75, or $50 HawaiianMiles gift card.