UH volleyball team advances to its seventh national final

LOS ANGELES — As the Hawaii men’s volleyball team stormed the court after match point against Long Beach State, the shakas started forming, pointing up to the sky.

Two weeks after Long Beach State freshman Wojciech Gajek angered a team, and an entire fan base, when he flashed the double shaka and then pointed to the ground in the Beach’s five-set win in the Big West tournament final, the Rainbow Warriors got their revenge on the sport’s biggest stage.

Kristian Titriyski put down a match-high 14th kill for the final point and No. 2 seed Hawaii advanced to its seventh national final in school history with a 25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22 win over the Beach in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championships on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills and Adrien Roure finished with 10 to give UH three players in double figures in kills. Justin Todd, who missed the previous match against Long Beach State with an injury, added a career-high 10 blocks and Hawaii (29-5) finished the season 3-1 against the Beach (25-5), who lost only two other matches.

After it was over, the ’Bows celebrated on the court near the net with a lot of the team, and even coaches, flashing the shaka sign toward both the Beach and the crowd.

SHAKAS UP IN PAULEY. advances to the national championship with a 25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22 win over Long Beach State.

— Billy Hull (@billyhull)

“I think everyone took it a little personally,” Sakanoko admitted after the match. “That was a little way to send it back in a classy way.”

Hawaii improved to 7-3 in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament and will face UC Irvine for the national championship on Monday at 1 p.m.

The match was similar to the one played two weeks ago when UH won sets one and three and Long Beach State took set two.

Hawaii, which couldn’t convert five match points in the fourth set in the previous meeting, trailed 18-14 on Saturday before closing on an 11-4 run with Sakanoko, Kainoa Wade and Roure all delivering serving turns of at least two points.

“One of the mantras that we have is good turns late,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “Guys going back to the service line when there is a lot on the line and guys like Kainoa come in and have a really good turn for us, Adrien came back there late and guys just kind of embraced this moment in being able to deliver when it counts.”

Gajek, who hit .071 with 11 kills and nine errors, had one of Long Beach State’s 18 service errors after the Beach led 18-14.

Sakanoko, who had six service errors and no aces, served his first one in that led to a Roure kill and a Beach timeout. They couldn’t freeze Sakanoko, who put another one in that led to a Trevell Jordan kill to get within one point.

“I was playing so bad from the service line that I couldn’t do worse,” Sakanoko said. “My team needed me at that moment and I had to (serve) in a good way. Get my ideas together and I know how to serve. Just tried to lock in a little more.”