Hawai’i sweeps UC San Diego behind super swings of Sakanoko, Titriyski

HONOLULU – Alone at the top. 

The fourth-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team clinched its fourth consecutive 20-win season on Friday night, sweeping No. 11 UC San Diego (16-5, 2-1 Big West) behind big offensive efforts from Kristian Titriyski and Louis Sakanoko – (25-21, 25-21, 25-18). The victory also moved the Rainbow Warriors into sole possession of the Big West’s pole position after No. 1 Long Beach State (20-1, 2-1 Big West) fell to No. 5 UC Irvine (15-4, 1-2 Big West) in straight sets earlier in the evening. 

Hawai’i (20-2, 3-0 Big West) looked well-rested after the team’s final bye of the regular season last week, seeing balanced efforts all over the floor. Titriyski led the way with a match-best 16 kills, adding one of the Rainbow Warriors’ six total service aces to go along with four digs and a block as the freshman opposite seemed unstoppable. 

Sakanoko delivered the play of the night, somehow finding floor on a spinning, no-look attack with his back facing the Tritons’ side of the net for one of his 13 kills. The sophomore matched libero ‘Eleu Choy and fellow Frenchman Adrien Roure with a team-high seven digs while also recording an ace in a well-rounded showing. 

Tread Rosenthal dished out 33 assists in the straight set victory for UH, helping the hosts outhit UCSD, .326 to .181 over the three frames. Ofeck Hazan provided quality reps for Hawai’i after Justin Todd tweaked his left ankle in the opening set, getting a hand in on a pair of blocks while also adding a couple of digs and a kill across parts of three stanzas. 

Todd, who UH head coach Charlie Wade said during his Spectrum Sports postgame interview could have returned to the match if needed, suffered the injury midway through the first set after landing on Sakanoko’s foot. 

Despite the loss of Todd in the lineup, Hawai’i pushed ahead as the hosts scored three straight points to snag a 21-18 advantage late in the first set, forcing UC San Diego to call for a timeout. It only delayed the inevitable as a locked-in Titriyski smashed six kills and led the Rainbow Warriors to a victory in the opening frame, 25-21. 

Hawai’i continued the momentum as it took a slim two-point lead by the second set’s media timeout behind Titriyski’s continued dominance. Despite a couple of rallies from the visitors, UH held the Tritons back far enough to secure a comfortable 2-0 set lead as Sakanoko closed out the second frame for the Rainbow Warriors with the same score as the first, 25-21. 

The third set continued to show off the French invasion as Sakanoko dazzled the volleyball world in-and-outside the Stan Sheriff Center with a spectacular spinning swing that put Hawai’i up by a point in the early going. His fellow countryman Adrien Roure followed it up a few points later with a solo denial of UCSD’s Leo Pravednikov to push the Rainbow Warrior advantage to six, sending the crowd of over 5,000 fans into another craze.

The Hawai’i lead stayed comfortable through the remainder of the third set and Titriyski’s powerful swing ended the match as the Rainbow Warriors swept the Tritons in straight frames to snap UCSD’s seven-game winning streak and move into sole possession of first place in the Big West for the first time this year. 

Anthony Cherfan led the way for UC San Diego, putting down 13 kills on 33 swings while committing five attack errors. The senior opposite also added five digs and three blocks as the Tritons fell for the first time in over a month. Redshirt junior Josh Schellinger chipped in with seven kills and four digs for UCSD. 

Adrien Roure had an up-and-down offensive night, going 7-for-19 on the attack with three errors, but made up for it with massive contributions on the defensive side as he racked up a team-high four blocks and seven digs. Kurt Nusterer added three kills on six swings and a trio of blocks himself as the Mānoa Roofing Company got active again after a two-week hiatus. 

Hawai’i plays host to UC San Diego again on Saturday night, searching for a sweep of the Tritons for the first time since 2023. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. HT.