HAWAI‘I OUTLASTS PEPPERDINE IN EPIC FOUR-SET BATTLE

The No. 3 University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball team held off No. 7 Pepperdine in a dramatic four-set victory Friday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, earning a split in the two-match nonconference series. Set scores were 25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 36-34.

The match was decided in a marathon fourth set that featured numerous momentum swings and several chances for both teams. Pepperdine had five opportunities to extend the match to a fifth set, while Hawai‘i served for the win eight times before finally closing it out when setter Tread Rosenthal finished the match with a kill.

Rosenthal led the offense with 56 assists and stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, four aces, nine digs and three blocks. During the fourth set, the junior sparked Hawai‘i with a nine-point service run that helped the Rainbow Warriors turn an early deficit into a lead.

Kainoa Wade paced UH with 19 kills, while Trevell Jordan delivered a career-best 15 kills on .600 hitting with five blocks. Adrien Roure also recorded 15 kills with seven digs, and Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills and four blocks. Libero Quintin Greenidge anchored the back row with a season-high 15 digs.

After the teams split the opening two sets, Hawai‘i seized control in the third, hitting .632 while limiting Pepperdine to negative hitting in a convincing 25-15 set win.

Hawai‘i (15-2) will now host the 30th OUTRIGGER Invitational from March 12–14 at the Stan Sheriff Center, welcoming No. 1 UCLA, No. 16 Lewis and Mount Olive.

Photos: Krista Peterson