FAIRFAX, Va. – The two-time defending national champion University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team begins its title defense with a semifinal round match Thursday, May 4 at EagleBank Arena. The second-seeded Rainbow Warriors (28-2) earned a bye into the semifinals of the NCAA National Collegiate Championship and face third-seeded Penn State (26-3).
 
UH's semifinal match will air on ncaa.com at 7:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. HT). Hawai'i is looking to become the first team to win three straight national titles since UCLA in the early 1980s.
 

MATCH #31
What				2023 NCAA National Collegiate Championship
Who				Semifinals — No. 2-seed Hawai'i (28-2) vs. Penn State (27-3)
Date | Time				Thursday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. HT)
Location				Fairfax, Va. — EagleBank Arena (Host: George Mason)
Television				None
Live Stream				NCAA.com. Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Jay Hosak (analyst).
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play).
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com; Sideline Hawaii app.
Live Stats				NCAA.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i
NCAA Information				Puchase Tickets | Bracket
Social Media				@HawaiiMensVB  | #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall23 | @HawaiiMVB  | Facebook

FIRST SERVE

• Hawai'i (28-2), the two-time defending national champions, are the No. 2 seed in this year's NCAA Championship and received a bye into the semifinals.
• UH is appearing in the semifinals for the eighth time in program history with a 5-2 all-time record.
• This year marks UH's fourth consecutive trip to the semifinals and fifth in the last six tournaments. The last team to make four straight semifinal trips was Long Beach State (2016-19).
• UH's 28 wins this season is tied for the most in program history along with the 2019 squad.
• UH enters the tournament with a current 11-match win streak.
• UH's semifinal opponent is Penn State (27-3), champions of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
• UH and Penn State met on the second day of the OUTRIGGER Invitational in March in Honolulu. The Nittany Lions handed the Warriors their first loss of the season in a four-set victory.
• Hawai'i and Penn State have met five times in the NCAA Tournament with UH holding a 3-2 advantage. The first three meetings were in the semifinals with UH winning two of the three match-ups in 1996 and 2002. PSU won the first meeting in 1995. The last two meetings have occurred in the opening rounds with PSU winning in 2015 and UH winning in 2017. All five match-ups have gone at least four sets.
• Setter Jakob Thelle needs one service ace to set a new all-time program career mark. Currently he is tied for the lead with Costas Theocharidis and Pedro Azenha with 121 aces.
• Twenty of UH's 28 wins this season have come in straight sets.
• UH is 27-1 when winning the first set this season and 76-3 over the last 3+ seasons.