Hawaiʻi rallies past UC Irvine to win NCAA men’s volleyball national title

LOS ANGELES — Four years after celebrating a national championship on the same court, the University of Hawaiʻi men’s volleyball team returned to the top of the sport Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Behind a balanced attack, dominant serving and a second-set turnaround, the Rainbow Warriors defeated UC Irvine, 15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20, to capture the NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship and secure the program’s third national title.

As green-and-white confetti rained down in Westwood, Hawaiʻi players embraced near center court while a large contingent of fans chanted from the stands after the Warriors completed a 30-win season — the most victories in program history.

The title marked Hawaiʻi’s first national championship since winning back-to-back crowns in 2021 and 2022 and capped the Warriors’ fifth appearance in the NCAA final in the past seven tournaments.

After struggling badly in the opening set, Hawaiʻi regrouped and overwhelmed the Anteaters over the final three sets with efficient hitting and aggressive serving.

“We settled in after the first set and started playing our volleyball,” Hawaiʻi coach Charlie Wade said afterward. “Once we got into rhythm, our guys trusted each other and played with confidence.”

Freshman outside hitter Kristian Titriyski delivered the championship-clinching kill and finished with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .387. Titriyski also added two service aces and earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Tournament MVP Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills on .500 hitting and sparked the decisive fourth set with three consecutive aces during a pivotal run that gave Hawaiʻi control. Sakanoko’s serving helped ignite the Warriors after UC Irvine had trimmed the deficit to one point late in the set.

Setter Tread Rosenthal orchestrated the offense with 44 assists while contributing three kills and three blocks. The Big West Player of the Year helped change the momentum early in the second set with a series of aggressive plays at the net that fueled a 5-0 Hawaiʻi run.

Adrien Roure added 15 kills for the Warriors, while middle blockers Trevell Jordan and Justin Todd combined for 12 kills and hit .588.

UC Irvine came out dominant, scoring the first four points of the match and overwhelming Hawaiʻi in the opening set behind .562 hitting and seven blocks. The Anteaters built a lead as large as 11 points while holding the Warriors to their lowest set total of the season.

But the momentum shifted quickly in the second set.

Hawaiʻi opened the frame with renewed energy and hit .452 while cooling off the Anteaters’ attack. Rosenthal helped key the turnaround with a kill, a block and another kill during a surge that pushed the Warriors ahead 11-5. Hawaiʻi never trailed again in the set and evened the match heading into intermission.

The third set remained tight early before Roure delivered an ace and forced an overpass that Sakanoko converted into a kill to give Hawaiʻi a 15-11 advantage. The Warriors continued to pressure Irvine defensively and closed the set on a strong run to move within one set of the title.

In the fourth, Sakanoko’s serving stretch electrified the pro-Hawaiʻi crowd inside Pauley Pavilion. After Irvine closed within 18-17 late, the Warriors responded with a 5-1 run to regain control before Rosenthal set up championship point. Titriyski then hammered the final kill to complete Hawaiʻi’s title run.

The Warriors hit .538 in the decisive fourth set and finished at .410 for the match after posting just a .167 hitting percentage in the opener.

Andrej Jokanovic led UC Irvine with 13 kills as the Anteaters fell short in their bid for the program’s first NCAA championship since 2013.

Monday’s victory also extended Hawaiʻi’s dominance over UC Irvine. The Warriors swept the regular-season series in April and have now won six straight matches against the Anteaters.