HONOLULU — The second-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team reached a historic milestone on Friday night, defeating No. 8 UC Santa Barbara in four sets (25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22) at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The victory improved the Rainbow Warriors' record to 20-3 (3-0 Big West) and extended their home winning streak in the series to 12 matches dating back to 2015. More significantly, the win marked the program's 400th all-time victory at Bankoh Arena and secured their 15th 20-win season.
Kristian Titriyski led all attackers with a match-high 18 kills along with a career-high 12 digs for his first career double-double. The sophomore also added four blocks.
Louis Sakanoko was a force at the net and on the service line, tallying 13 kills, three aces, and two blocks.
Adrien Roure and
Justin Todd each added three aces.
Setter
Tread Rosenthal orchestrated the attack with 44 assists and four blocks. Defensively, the Warriors out-blocked the Gauchos 10.5 to 8.5, with Todd leading the way with seven blocks, which tied a career-high.
UCSB (11-8, 2-2) was led by George Bruening, who recorded 15 kills. Riggs Guy and Ethan Saint also contributed 11 and nine kills respectively
. Despite the offensive effort, the Gauchos were hampered by 20 service errors and a .240 team hitting percentage against the Hawai'i block.
The opening set was a battle of attrition featuring 12 ties and three lead changes. The Gauchos surged ahead late, leading 23-20, before
Kristian Titriyski's sixth kill of the frame sparked a decisive comeback. Todd then took over at the service line, firing three aces during a 5-0 run to steal the set 25-23. Hawai'i hit .306 in the frame, while holding UCSB to .194.
UH maintained its momentum in the second set, jumping out to a 16-11 lead behind a blistering serving performance from Roure, who recorded three straight aces. The Warriors' offense clicked into high gear, hitting .379 with four total aces in the frame to cruise to a 25-18 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Gauchos refused to go quietly in the third. Hawai'i's offense sputtered to a -.065 hitting percentage, hampered by 10 attack errors, while the UCSB defense recorded 6.0 team blocks in the set. Saint and Bruening helped lead the Gaucho charge to take the set 25-19.
In a tightly contested fourth set, the Warriors regained their composure to seal the match. Sakanoko provided a critical spark with an ace to make it 10-8, eventually firing a 78 mph serve to help maintain a late lead. Titriyski anchored the effort with several late kills, including the match-clinching slam to secure the 25-22 win.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Bankoh Arena for the series finale.
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