HONOLULU – The third-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team wrapped up the 30
th OUTRIGGER Invitational with a four-set win over 14th-ranked Lewis on Sunday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, and 25-21.
The Rainbow Warriors (17-3) rebounded from a slow start in Set 1 to take the next three sets, finishing the tournament with a 2-1 record and a runner-up finish. The matchup was originally scheduled for Friday, but after severe weather canceled the day's slate, it was rescheduled for two days later.
Outside hitter
Adrien Roure led the way for Hawai'i with a match-high 15 kills while hitting .353 with five digs and three blocks to earn all-tournament team honors.
Kristian Titriyski came off the bench to spark the Warriors with 14 kills, hitting .417 with four digs and three blocks. Setter
Tread Rosenthal, who was also named to the all-tournament team, dished out 46 assists along with four kills, eight digs, and three blocks while directing the offense to a .365 clip.
Louis Sakanoko added 10 kills and two aces, while
Trevell Jordan tallied five kills and five blocks.
Ofeck Hazan came off the bench and finished with six blocks along with four kills in six errorless attempts. Hawai'i totaled 12.5 team blocks in the match.
Daniel Haber led the Flyers (13-9) with 12 kills and four blocks and was named to the all-tournament team. Cameron Hoying added 11 kills. As a team, Lewis hit .189 for the match and served eight aces compared to only four for Hawai'i.
Also named to the all-tournament team were Mount Olive's Matthew Ekberg and UCLA's Cameron Thorne, Sean Kelly, and Andrew Rowan, the latter of whom was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Bruins were declared tournament champions despite not playing Mount Olive, as that match was not rescheduled following the weather-related cancellations.
UH came out flat in Set 1 but rebounded to take the second set with clutch play down the stretch. With the score tied at 22, Titriyski and Roure recorded consecutive kills, and UH blocked Cameron Hoying on set point to even the match at one set apiece.
UH's block came alive in the third set with three straight "stuffs" during a 10-3 run for a 15-10 lead. The Flyers tied it at 17 after a 6-1 run, but an ace by
Kainoa Wade spurred a late 6-1 surge by the Warriors for a 23-18 lead.
Lewis led 10-8 to open Set 4, but the Warriors answered with a 7-2 run to take a 15-12 lead. The Flyers could only get within one during a set that was delayed by nearly 10 minutes due to a scoring technicality. Roure came up with two big kills late, including the match point to end it.
The match closed out non-conference play for the Warriors, who will open the Big West portion of the schedule this week against rival No. 2 Long Beach State, Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at the Walter Pyramid.
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