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Hawaii dispatches UC Irvine to capture the NCAA men’s volleyball crown
TL;DR
Hawaii won its third NCAA men's volleyball championship by defeating UC Irvine 3-1, marking the first 30-win season in program history. This victory adds to Hawaii's impressive record, achieving a 3-0 run in the inaugural 12-team NCAA Tournament.
Key points
- Hawaii won its third national championship since 2021
- Defeated UC Irvine 3-1 in the final match
- Achieved the first 30-win season in program history
- Completed a 3-0 run in the inaugural 12-team NCAA Tournament
- Ninth overall NCAA team championship in UH history
Hawaii Rainbow WarriorsUC Irvine AnteatersNCAA Men's Volleyball Championships
LOS ANGELES — Pauley Pavilion is the home of the school with more men’s volleyball national championships than any other.
Monday night, it housed a team with as many national titles this decade as every other school combined.
Second-seeded Hawaii completed the first 30-win season in program history to win its third national championship since 2021, defeating UC Irvine 15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 in the final of the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championships.
Inside an arena that was close to even in fan support, the Rainbow Warriors (30-5) got shellacked in the opening set before coming back to play nearly flawless volleyball to earn a third straight win over the Anteaters (21-9) this season.
More importantly, Hawaii completed a 3-0 run through the first 12-team NCAA Tournament ever played to claim the ninth overall NCAA team championship in all sports in UH history.
“We’ve built something that is unique (on) the planet, and people see it all over,” said Hawaii coach Charlie Wade, who also led UH to national titles in 2021 and ’22. “We’re continuing to get better and build a better roster, and this is just the next step forward.”
After hitting .167 with seven errors and losing the opening set by double digits, Hawaii had only eight attack errors the rest of the match and hit .452 or better in each of the final three sets.
It culminated in a fourth set in which UH hit .538 and ended the match on Kristian Titriyski’s match-high 16th kill.
“I’ve talked about this all season. I think we’re just a more mature team this year,” Hawaii setter Tread Rosenthal said. “You saw that exact same first set last year against UCLA (in the national semifinals) and we couldn’t come back from it. You saw a different team this year just understanding that we’re OK and we got three more sets of volleyball that we can win and that’s what we did.”
Hawaii’s offense was as balanced as it has been this season. Adrien Roure followed Titriyski with 15 kills and a team-high seven digs, and Louis Sakanoko, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, had 12 kills, six digs and three blocks and hit .500.
Sakanoko also had three consecutive aces early in the fourth set to put Hawaii ahead 8-6.
“It’s like an ego boost every time you have a personal award, but at the same time, without Tread, Kristian, Adrien, even the ‘B’ side, everyone, we’re a team,” Sakanoko said. “To be honest, it’s just nice that we have a chance to be a good group of really talented players and we’re also friends outside of volleyball and I’m happy we won.”
The matchup in the final was between two teams that did not win their conference. Hawaii was second in the Big West to Long Beach State and UC Irvine was third.
The Anteaters had to defeat three straight conference champions — Penn State, No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 4 seed Ball State — to reach the final and came out playing with nothing to lose.
Q&A
How many national championships has Hawaii men's volleyball won?
Hawaii men's volleyball has won three national championships since 2021.
What was Hawaii's record during the 2023 NCAA men's volleyball season?
Hawaii finished the 2023 season with a record of 30 wins and 5 losses.
Who did Hawaii defeat to win the NCAA men's volleyball title?
Hawaii defeated UC Irvine in the final match to win the NCAA men's volleyball title.
What is significant about the 2023 NCAA men's volleyball Tournament?
The 2023 NCAA men's volleyball Tournament was the first-ever 12-team tournament, which Hawaii won with a perfect 3-0 record.
