Hawai’i coasts by Penn State to set up OUTRIGGER Invitational title match

HONOLULU – Have sweep dreams, we’ll see you tomorrow. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team secured a sweep of a ranked opponent for the second straight night on Friday, easily moving past Penn State (5-12) in straight sets on Day 2 of the 2025 OUTRIGGER Invitational – 25-13, 25-23, 25-12. Adrien Roure led the charge for Hawai’i as he flew all over the floor for a match-high 15 kills along with seven digs, four assists and four blocks. 

Fellow Frenchman Louis Sakanoko showed off his showmanship with nine kills of his own, hitting .412 while spinning one of Hawai’i’s six service aces and dishing out the flashiest assist of the night to Roure. With typical starting opposite Kristian Titriyski getting a night off ahead of a title-match tilt with No. 5 USC, Kainoa Wade stepped into the rotation for the Rainbow Warriors and led the team with eight digs while putting down five kills of his own. 

Tread Rosenthal captained the offense effectively once again, handing out 29 assists and recording a team-best three service aces across the three frames. The sophomore setter saw his own attacking numbers tick up as well, finishing with four kills on seven error-free attempts. 

Hawai’i (19-1) started quickly, jumping out to a nine-point lead in the first set after Kurt Nusterer recorded back-to-back service aces that forced Penn State to burn through both timeouts before the media break at 15 arrived. Two more aces from the Rainbow Warriors followed along with the team hitting .350 in the opening stanza, leading to a dominant 25-13 decision for the hosts to begin the match. 

Sloppy play from UH started the second set, seeing nine early errors help the Nittany Lions take a two-point lead at the media timeout. Hawai’i stabilized to remain within a pair after the break and roared back with the final four points of the frame, committing only two more mistakes through the set as they snatched a 2-0 advantage over PSU. 

The Rainbow Warriors made quick work of the Nittany Lions in the third set, clicking into another gear after trading the first 12 points as Roure started to let it rip. Hawai’i took a 15-7 lead into the media stoppage after Sakanoko and Roure hooked up for a beautiful back-set to the outside that sent the Stan Sheriff Center crowd into a frenzy. 

The UH domination continued when play resumed as the lead grew as large as 11 before Penn State finally scored again. A few errors from the Rainbow Warriors allowed the match to continue for a few more minutes, but Hawai’i would refocus to score the final three points and complete the sweep over the Nittany Lions. 

Will Kuhns led the charge for Penn State, finishing with 13 kills on 20 swings and committing four attack errors in the loss. The visitors hit a paltry .049 as a team, falling in straight sets for the second straight night. 

The victory by the Rainbow Warriors extends the team’s win streak to 10 games and sets up a true championship matchup against No. 5 USC on Saturday night. The Trojans (15-2) also recorded a pair of sweeps on the first two days of the tournament against Ball State and Penn State. 

First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. HT – Hawai’i has won six straight matches in the tournament and is looking for its 12th overall OUTRIGGER Invitational title. USC is looking for the program’s first-ever title, securing a runner-up finish in each of the previous two appearances in the tournament (‘09, ‘10).