HONOLULU – The top-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team pulled out the brooms on No. 4 Long Beach State, Saturday in a Big West match-up at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-16, 25-23, 25-23.
The Rainbow Warriors (18-2, 1-1 BWC) avenged a straight-set loss to the Beach one night earlier with an efficient offensive performance. UH committed only six attack errors in 78 total attempts – four in a tightly contested final set – while also out-blocking the nation's leader 11 to 2.
Chaz Galloway led the UH attack with 11 kills, hitting .429 along with four digs and two blocks.
Spyros Chakas rebounded from his worst outing of the season with 10 kills, hitting .348 with four digs and a career-high six blocks.
Dimitrios Mouchlias added eight kills and six digs.
Setter
Jakob Thelle dished out 25 assists while leading UH to a .385 hitting percentage. The senior also served three of the team's five aces and had six digs and four blocks.
Spencer Olivier finished with a match-high 14 kills for the Beach (12-3, 3-1).
UH came out swinging in Set 1 doubling up the Beach early on. The Warriors led 10-5 after a kill by Chakas and scored five unanswered to make it 16-7. Hawai'i went on to hit .625 in the set with 15 kills in 24 errorless attempts.
A Chakas ace and a Beach attack error gave UH the lead at 11-9 in Set 2. The Warriors took a 17-13 lead after a 5-1 run. With Hawai'i leading 24-20, the Beach fended off three set points capped by an Olivier ace to make it 24-23. The set ended after a UH challenge on a net violation which negated a Beach point.
Set 3 went back and forth with the Beach taking a 20-18 lead late. UH tied it at 21 after Galloway's overpass kill. Teams traded side-outs until 23-all when the Warriors scored the final two points on back-to-back blocks. Chakas' solo roof closed out the match.
The Warriors continue Big West play with a two-match series at CSUN, March 24-25 in Northridge, Calif.
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