Kearney service turn helps save Hawai’i in five-set Harvard thriller

HONOLULU – Upset attempt denied. 

The No. 4 University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team overcame 22 errors from the service line on Friday night to down unranked Harvard in five sets, (25-17, 25-27, 25-15, 21-25, 16-14). Kristian Titriyski led the Rainbow Warriors with a match-best 18 kills on 37 swings but committed 11 errors on an up-and-down night for the entire group. 

The hosts hit .395 as a group but committed 50 errors in total as some of the inexperience and unfamiliarity of the talented Hawai’i team showed through as UH beat the Crimson for the second time this week. Adrien Roure finished with double-digit kills for the third time in four outings, tallying 14 putdowns on 28 swings, but had 12 errors of his own. 

Fellow freshman Finn Kearney was one of the lone flawless Rainbow Warriors, appearing in all five sets and not committing a miscue of any kind. The left-handed outside hitter/opposite was especially efficient behind the service line, finishing the night as the only Hawai’i player with 10+ service attempts and zero errors (Kearney served 12 times without an error) while also sizzling in an ace.  

Harvard (0-2) used eight service aces to help push the match the full distance, seeing three in the second set help the Crimson capitalize on eight errors from UH to tie the match at a set apiece. The visitors out of the EIVA committed less errors than Hawai’i from the service line in all but the first set as they attempted an early season upset bid against one of the top teams in the country. 

Hawai’i (4-0) jumped out to an early four-point lead behind straight aces from Kristian Titriyski, sandwiched by a kill and a block from Kurt Nusterer, and forced a timeout from the Crimson. The stoppage did little to slow down Hawai’i, who grew the lead to six by the media timeout and eventually took the opening frame 25-17 behind an ace from redshirt freshman Justin Todd, who made his first career start as Ofeck Hazan missed the contest nursing a minor injury. 

Harvard committed eight service errors in the first set while Hawai’i twisted home three aces and only three errors from behind the line. The Rainbow Warriors hit a hot .421 as a team in the frame while the Crimson were held to hitting just .292, a continuation of Wednesday’s dominance for UH. 

The Rainbow Warriors took a slim 15-14 lead into the second set media timeout, seeing five errors from the service line weigh down any chance at early separation from the Crimson. The serve game continued plaguing the Rainbow Warriors while providing a boost for the visitors, who tied the second frame at 21 after a pair of aces from Logan Shepherd to force a timeout from Charlie Wade. 

The Crimson grabbed the upper hand late after a Louis Sakanoko swing caught too much net, using the advantage to eventually take the second stanza after three set point chances. Tying a game-high eight errors from the service line while having three errant swings in-system, Hawai’i miscues accounted for nearly half of the Crimson points in the second set. 

The hosts wasted little time taking control in the third frame, racing out to a 10-6 advantage behind the heavy swings of Titriyski and Roure. With Kearney and Todd getting back in on the freshmen fun, Hawai’i grew the lead to as many as seven before Harvard signaled for timeout down 20-13. 

The timeout did not stop the Hawai’i momentum as the Rainbow Warriors scored five of the next seven points to take the important swing set in commanding fashion, 25-15. UH hit an eye-popping .455 as a team, easily overcoming six service errors with 13 kills on 22 swings and three aces buoying the team to an important lead, two sets to one. Harvard struggled mightily in the frame, hitting .000 and committing six attacking errors. 

Again, Hawai’i proved to be its own worst enemy in the fourth set with six attacking errors and another two serving mistakes helping Harvard remain alive and force a fifth set. The Crimson made sure to take advantage of the free points, committing zero attacking errors themselves as they started to send an unsettling feeling throughout the Stan Sheriff Center with threats towards Hawai’i’s perfect record. 

Harvard built upon the fourth set momentum in the penultimate frame, taking an 8-7 lead with a double block as the teams swapped sides. Shepherd’s fifth ace of the contest followed, helping the Crimson go on a run to open a 12-9 lead before Titriyski solo blocked Miha Okorn and reignited the crowd and forced a timeout. 

After a timeout, Harvard took the next two points to push Hawai’i to the brink and force a timeout from Charlie Wade. After Justin Todd smashed a UH return of a Crimson serve, Wade reinserted Kearney to take the biggest service turn of the night with no room for error as Hawai’i trailed, 14-12. 

The freshman calmly delivered four straight perfect offerings, helping Hawai’i slingshot from down two to an “aloha ball” chance. After Kearney smacked over the final serve, Harvard’s return was quickly sent back into earth by Todd as Hawai’i delivered fans a heart-stopping win in five sets. 

Kearney finished with four kills on seven swings, not committing a hitting error in any of his five sets of work. Justin Todd added four kills of his own while tying a career high with five total blocks, including the match-winner, in his first career start. 

Tread Rosenthal filled the box sheet, dishing out 47 assists, getting a hand in on four blocks and tallying six kills on eight attempts while matching ‘Eleu Choy’s team-best seven digs in the win. Kurt Nusterer set a new career-high with nine kills and recorded a season-best six blocks as the redshirt junior continued easing back into form. 

Hawai’i returns to action next Wednesday, hosting No. 19 Princeton for a pair of matches to close out a six-game homestand to open the season. The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in EIVA this season and will open their 2025 slate on Saturday at No. 7 USC.