IRVINE, Calif. – The top-seeded University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team advanced to the OUTRIGGER Big West Championship final after defeating fifth-seeded UC San Diego in four sets on Friday at the Bren Events Center. Set scores were 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 25-13.
The victory moves the defending tournament champions into the title match for the sixth time as they seek their fifth overall conference crown. Hawai'i will face second-seeded Long Beach State, who defeated host UC Irvine in the other semifinal. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT at the Bren Events Center.
The Rainbow Warriors (27-4) successfully avenged their only conference loss of the regular season, which was handed to them by the Tritons in La Jolla. Furthermore, it provided postseason redemption, as the Tritons had won the only previous Big West Championship meeting between the two programs during the 2021 semifinals in Honolulu.
This win improved UH's all-time record in the semifinal round to 6-2.
The Warriors were led by
Louis Sakanoko, who recorded a team-high 12 kills, and his long serving turn in the fourth set all but put the match away. UH went on a 11-0 run with 10 straight points off of Sakanoko's float serve.
Adrien Roure added 10 kills, three digs, and five blocks while
Trevell Jordan tallied eight kills and four blocks.
Ofeck Hazan came off the bench for an injured
Justin Todd and finished with four kills and four blocks.
Kristian Titriyski returned to the starting lineup after being sidelined for the team's last two matches and finished with six kills, two aces, and two blocks.
By securing this victory, the Rainbow Warriors have now reached the conference championship match for the sixth time. Having entered the tournament as the top seed and defending champions, they remain on track to secure what would be the program's fifth tournament title.
The match began with UH overcoming a slow start in Set 1, where six attack errors saw them trailing 15-12 at the media timeout. A 6-0 run during Titriyski's serve surged the Warriors ahead 19-16, and late kills from Jordan and Titriyski secured a 23-19 lead. The Tritons evened the match at 1-1 after winning by an identical 23-19 score in Set 2.
Hawai'i reclaimed momentum in Set 3, utilizing a 5-0 run behind Titriyski's serve to lead 13-9. Blocks by Titriyski and Jordan extended the advantage to 20-13. The Warriors then dominated Set 4, fueled by an 11-0 run off of Sakanoko's serve.
During the regular season, Hawai'i went 2-0 against UC Irvine, winning both matches of the series. The Rainbow Warriors also finished the regular season 2-0 against Long Beach State, securing victories in both of their scheduled meetings.
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