UC-Irvine and Hawaii Set to Compete in NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship
Hawaii Men’s Volleyball Team Advances to National Championship
In a thrilling match at Pauley Pavilion, the Hawaii men’s volleyball team overcame Long Beach State in five sets, securing a spot in the NCAA men’s volleyball national championship for the first time since their victory in 2022.
The Rainbow Warriors will face UC Irvine, which continued its impressive run by defeating No. 4 seeded Ball State on Saturday. The unseeded Anteaters previously pulled off an upset against No. 1 UCLA in the tournament, preventing the Bruins from competing for the title on their home court.
Long Beach State played a nearby semifinal but could not overcome Hawaii, which aimed to build on lessons learned from falling to UCLA in the national semifinals last season.
“We all learned a lot from the loss last season,” Hawaii sophomore Justin Todd noted. “We learned that we have to stay healthy, going to the end of the year and getting better at practice overall.”
Following the match, Hawaii’s veteran head coach, Charlie Wade, praised the representation of the Big West Conference.
“Since the inception of the Big West Conference, it’s been the strongest conference for volleyball,” Wade remarked. “This is the third time two Big West teams will be playing each other in the championship.”
The match began with Hawaii quickly establishing an 11-7 lead in the first set, eventually winning it 25-15. Long Beach State responded, claiming the second set 25-18, but the teams continued to battle for dominance. Hawaii narrowly took the third set 25-21 and clinched victory in the fourth set with a final 25-22 score after trailing for much of the game.
In the other semifinal, UC Irvine triumphed over Ball State 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19), spurred on by middle blocker Trevor Clark, who recorded 14 kills and six blocks. Redshirt freshman setter Cameron Kosty contributed significantly with 53 set assists and nine digs.
Hawaii (29-5) and UC Irvine (21-8) will face off on Monday at 4 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion for the NCAA championship, which will be broadcast on ESPN2.
