Hawai’i stays standing in five-set heavyweight match win at No. 5 BYU

How about that for a Friday night fight? 

The fourth-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team passed its first true test of the season Friday night, fighting off six match point attempts in the show-stopping fifth set to take down No. 5 BYU in extra points for just the fifth all-time win in 30 matches in Provo. Freshman Kristian Titriyski powered the Rainbow Warriors to the five-set victory with a team-high 20 kills and three service aces, turning it on after a slow first frame. 

(20-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 22-20) 

Sophomore setter and floor captain Tread Rosenthal turned in a herculean effort as well, flirting with a triple-double as he hit .750 on 12 swings while dishing out 43 assists and getting pieces of eight different blocks for the Rainbow Warriors. Freshman middle blocker Ofeck Hazan returned from a three-match absence with a strong showing, racking up 10 kills on 14 swings while chipping in on five of the UH blocks throughout the night. 

Former UH outside hitter Keoni Thiim, who transferred to BYU for his final season of eligibility over the summer, recorded a match-high 21 kills on 42 swings while adding a couple aces and two blocks in the loss against his former squad. Luke Benson followed right behind Thiim with 17 kills and a team-best seven digs while seeing action in all five sets for the Cougars. 

In front of a sold-out Smith Fieldhouse, BYU rocketed out to an early seven-point advantage as Hawai’i looked to struggle settling in to begin the first road match of the 2025 season. Six errors from the Rainbow Warriors and four fast blocks by the Cougars forced head coach Charlie Wade to signal for timeout with his young team on the back heel to begin, 13-6. 

Following the timeout, Hawai’i started to find the offense as they rattled off four consecutive points and pulled within two on a pair of separate occasions in the opening frame. Unfortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, the early cushion proved to be enough for BYU as the Cougars coasted to an opening set win, 25-20.

Similar to the first set, BYU fired away to begin the second frame to take a 5-1 lead and forced Wade to take another early-set timeout to settle his young team. Sticking around after the slow start, Hawai’i gained momentum when Tread Rosenthal and Kurt Nusterer combined at the net for a massive block to pull the visiting Rainbow Warriors within a pair, 17-15, forcing the Cougars to signal for a timeout of their own. 

The break in the action did little to stop the Hawai’i wave of momentum, seeing the Rainbow Warriors fight in front and tie the match at one set apiece behind super-sub sophomore Louis Sakanoko and an inspired, fired-up Kristian Titriyski, 25-22. 

The third set’s margin was even thinner, seeing each side remain within a point of the other for much of the frame before Keoni Thiim slammed the door shut on the Rainbow Warriors’ comeback try to deliver the frame to the Cougars, 25-23. Hawai’i responded in a massive way in the fourth stanza, dominating BYU from start to finish with a 25-16 decision to send the match into a winner-take-all fifth set. 

Mimicking the first two sets, the final stanza opened with a BYU rush (and the aid of a challenge) as the hosts took five of the first six points and an eventual 8-4 lead to the delight of the raucous crowd of 5,019 volleyball fans. Hawai’i roared back to knot the set at 9-9 following the side swap, seeing the talented youth come through again despite the hostile road environment. 

The teams traded rallies, eventually setting up a match point chance for BYU after Teon Taylor and Noa Haine combined to stuff Kristian Titriyski and forced Hawai’i to call for timeout. The Rainbow Warriors would fight off six BYU match points in total, ending the instant classic with just their second “aloha ball” chance as Titriyski pushed over the game winner for his 20th kill. 

Kurt Nusterer patrolled the net all night for Hawai’i, matching his career high with 10 total blocks while Adrien Roure turned in his first career double-double as he tallied 12 kills and a career-best 11 digs while getting in on seven different blocks for the Rainbow Warriors. The margins helped UH edge out BYU, compiling 18.5 team blocks while winning the service line with 10 aces to only two allowed. 

The two squads go back to battle on Saturday night as Hawai’i looks for the program’s third straight win in Provo and what would be the sixth win as a visitor to the Smith Fieldhouse ever. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT/ 4 p.m. HT with another capacity crowd expected to be on hand.