Hawaii Men’s volleyball, who are fourth-ranked in the Big West, defeated UC San Diego in a heated competition, which took place in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The match didn’t go over the fourth set as Hawaii was able to stop UC San Diego in the fourth set, concluding the game in a fascinating way, 3-1.
With this win, Hawaii Men’s volleyball remains undefeated in the tournament.
Match Recap
The match between the top-tier teams on March 29 was followed by their clash on March 28, where UC San Diego faced a clean sweep with 0-3 in a dominant way.
In the second clash, the result was about to be similar, but the comeback of San Diego in the third round helped them to get over the embarrassing loss.
Set 1 (27-25, Hawai’i wins)
The first set of the match started very tight as both teams were looking to secure early points to pressure the opponent. However, the key players of Hawaii, like Adrien Roure and Sakanok, contributed to the lead.
Despite San Diego being able to tie the set at 21, Roure, with his fifth kill, sealed the first-set victory.
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Set 2 (25-23, Hawai’i wins)
Following the competitive set 1, Hawaii was confident and was leading the entire set from the beginning, but San Diego was behind them.
In the second set, Sakanoko delivers a seventh kill, leading Hawaii to the set point. It was beautifully finished by Ofeck Hazan with his third kill.
Set 3 (17-25, UCSD wins)
The third set was do or die for San Diego, as they could not afford to lose this set. They eventually took the early lead by 9-3 as UCSD’s Josh Schellinger contributed massively with kills, leaving Hawaii stunned.
However, both teams got a warning in the middle of the set for engaging in trash-talking.
Set 4 (25-18, Hawai’i wins)
Hawaii Men’s volleyball quickly caught its rhythm after a loss in the third set. They continued to find the momentum, leading 16-11 in the set after a quick run, 5-1.
Kainoa Wade led Hawaii to the match point with his exceptional serve in the final set, and Adrien Roure wrapped up the match with his powerful kill, making Hawaii the dominant winner.
Following the victory over UC San Diego, the coach of Hawaii Men’s volleyball said, “I gave the setter kind of an assist with certainly getting the crowd back into it. He’s always kind of chirpy and I think the crowd started taking exception to it and helped to get our guys back into it. We were a little flat and that kind of got us going.”
Key Players and Standout Performances
During the second clash between Hawaii and San Diego, several players from their side contributed to winning the set in crucial moments.
From the players, Louis Sakanoko from Hawaii contributing with 15 kills, to Josh Schelliner from UC San Diego, securing 18 kills, there were many key players in the match.
| Player Name | Team | Key Contribution |
| Louis Sakanoko | Hawai’i (UH) | 15 kills, led the team with strong performance in both offense and defense. |
| Adrien Roure | Hawai’i (UH) | 14 kills, key offensive presence. |
| Kristian Titriyski | Hawai’i (UH) | 2 kills in 5 swings, and 2 blocks. |
| Ofeck Hazan | Hawai’i (UH) | Blocked key shots, including a crucial one with Sakanoko. |
| Kurt Nusterer | Hawai’i (UH) | Contributed with 8 kills and 5 blocks. |
| Josh Schellinger | UC San Diego (UCSD) | 18 kills, led the Tritons in kills. |
| Anthony Cherfan | UC San Diego (UCSD) | 13 kills, involved in a key block against Hawai’i. |
| Leo Pravednikov | UC San Diego (UCSD) | 13 kills, strong offensive presence alongside Schellinger and Cherfan. |
Hawaii Men’s volleyball will be playing the remaining matches next week as the one and only undefeated team in the Big West against No.7 State Northridge.
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