‘Bows Rally Past UC Irvine for NCAA Championship
The University of Hawaiʻi men’s volleyball team is back on top of college volleyball after rallying past UC Irvine in four sets Monday night to capture the program’s third NCAA national championship at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
After dropping the opening set, the Rainbow Warriors responded with dominant play the rest of the way to defeat the Anteaters, 15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20, and finish the season with a program-record 30 victories. Hawaiʻi claimed its first national title since winning back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.
Kristian Titriyski led UH with 16 kills, including the championship-clinching point, while Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills and earned NCAA Tournament MVP honors. Setter Tread Rosenthal guided the offense with 44 assists as the Warriors hit .410 for the match after overcoming a slow start.
Hawaiʻi closed the season by winning its sixth straight match against UC Irvine and reached the NCAA final for the fifth time in the last seven years, continuing one of the most dominant eras in program history.
Photos: Jonathan Salvador
