Titriyski returns as Hawaii sweeps Mount Olive at Outrigger Invitational

Titriyski returns as Hawaii sweeps Mount Olive at Outrigger Invitational

Mar 13, 2026

Titriyski returns as Hawaii sweeps Mount Olive at Outrigger Invitational

MANOA — Welcome back Kristian Titriyski.

The All-American opposite recorded a match-high 10 kills in his first appearance in nearly a month as the University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball team swept Mount Olive 25-18, 25-19, 25-17 on the opening day of the 30th Outrigger Invitational at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center Thursday night.

Titriyski, who missed the Rainbow Warriors’ previous 11 matches with an injury, also added two service aces, three digs and three blocks in the victory.

“It feels good to be back there in front of the fans playing,” Titriyski said. “It was just nice to play. It’s a quick win and we’re looking forward to the next games.”

Hawai‘i (16-2) dominated offensively, hitting a season-best .603 while committing only six attack errors on 63 swings.

Coach Charlie Wade said the team’s depth contributed to the efficient performance.

“It was good to get some guys some run,” Wade said. “Again pretty pleased with the offensive efficiency. No matter who we rolled out there, they seemed to do a nice job.”

Titriyski entered the match in the second set, receiving a loud ovation from the crowd of 3,329. He finished the set with six kills and two blocks.

“I’m really happy to see that reaction from the fans,” Titriyski said. “It makes me really happy and I’m thankful for that.”

A total of 13 Hawai‘i players saw action in the match.

Finn Kearney tallied nine kills while hitting .667 and added two aces and a block. Louis Sakanoko contributed six kills on .500 hitting, while Adrien Roure finished with five kills in one set of play.

Setter Tread Rosenthal paced the offense with 36 assists to go along with six digs and three kills.

Freshman outside hitter Thatcher Fahlbusch also made an impact, recording four kills on four swings without an error in his third appearance of the season.

The Rainbow Warriors totaled nine service aces, including a career-high four from Justin Todd.

Friday’s matches at the Outrigger Invitational were canceled, but Saturday’s slate — including Hawai‘i’s scheduled matchup against No. 1 UCLA — remains on schedule pending weather conditions.

HPU Softball growing and learning under new coaching staff

HPU Softball growing and learning under new coaching staff

Mar 13, 2026

HPU Softball growing and learning under new coaching staff

The Sharks celebrate after getting an inning-ending out against Dominican on Monday afternoon. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

The record may not reflect it, but the Hawai‘i Pacific University softball team is trending in the right direction.

Despite being swept in their most recent home series against Dominican University of California, the Sharks (4-14) showed flashes of promise in three of the four losses.

In the series opener, HPU mounted a two-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to remain competitive in a 6-2 loss. The Sharks followed with a marathon contest that stretched into multiple extra innings before falling 5-3 after tying the game following the fifth inning.

HPU also appeared poised to salvage the finale after building a 7-1 lead through four innings, but Dominican rallied to hand the Sharks an 8-7 defeat.

Although the losses were frustrating, first-year head coach Alex Takemura said the experience has been valuable for a young roster.

“What we cover at practice — it’s very hard to create those scenarios and the emotion that goes into it,” Takemura said. “I think that just comes with experience. There are a lot of growing pains and a lot of things we can’t really duplicate at practice, but the girls are coming a long way.”

“They’re really learning a lot. We’re taking all the bumps along the way, but we’re learning from them and I think we’re going to be stronger for it.”

Sophomore infielder Felicia Tanno turns a double play against Dominican. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Takemura also praised the team’s resilience despite the results.

“They never quit,” he said. “They play to the end. They take all of the instruction — anything that we do with it — they trust it, and it’s becoming very competitive.”

Several players have stood out early in the season.

Junior catcher Danielle Cote is batting .395 with 17 hits and 11 RBIs. Sophomore Makayla Pagampao leads the team in hits (19), doubles (six) and RBIs (14), while sophomore shortstop Taryn Hirano tops the Sharks in runs scored (18) and triples (five) while taking on a larger leadership role.

Sophomore shortstop Taryn Hirano has been a steady presence for the 2026 HPU softball team. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

 

Junior infielder Miquela Leopoldo has also surged recently, going 6-for-9 over the team’s last three games.

“There’s bits and pieces of really good signs from a lot of people,” Takemura said.

HPU now turns its attention to its longest road stretch of the season with 16 consecutive games away from the islands. The Sharks will not return to their home field at Sand Island Recreational Park until April 13.

Takemura hopes the extended road trip will help the team continue to grow.

“Just continue to build memories and come tougher as a team,” he said. “The road can do a lot of things to you, but it can also bring you really, really close. You learn a lot about each other and spend a lot of time together, so it’s learning who we can count on and who steps up in different moments.”

The Sharks open the road trip with a pair of doubleheaders against Concordia University Irvine on Friday and Saturday.

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Mountain West reveals 2026 season schedule for Hawaii Football

Mountain West reveals 2026 season schedule for Hawaii Football

Mar 9, 2026

Mountain West reveals 2026 season schedule for Hawaii Football

The Mountain West Conference released its 2026 football schedule Monday, revealing a 12-game slate for the Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors football that includes six home games and six road contests.

It marks the third consecutive season Hawaiʻi will play a 12-game regular-season schedule. The program last played a 13-game regular season in 2023, when the Rainbow Warriors finished 5-8.

They went 8-4 overall (5-3 conference) in the regular season last year before finishing with a 9-4 record after a 35-31 win over California in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.

Season opener at Stanford

Hawaiʻi will open the season in Week 0 on Aug. 29 with a road game against Stanford Cardinal football. The matchup will be the first ever played in Stanford, California, between the programs. The teams have met five previous times, all in Honolulu.

The Rainbow Warriors will return home the following week for their Mountain West opener against UNLV Rebels football on Sept. 5 at the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex. UNLV finished as co-regular-season champions last year.

Hawaiʻi will then host a nonconference matchup against New Mexico State Aggies football on Sept. 12 before its first bye week.

Alternating stretch of games

Hawai’i Defensive Tackle Luther McCoy holds up the Paniolo Trophy after the Rainbow Warriors’ win over Wyoming in 2025.

Mountain West play resumes Sept. 26 with a road game against the Wyoming Cowboys football in Laramie.

The Rainbow Warriors will then alternate home and road games over the next month, beginning with a home matchup against the San José State Spartans football on Oct. 3. Hawaiʻi will travel the following week to face the Arizona State Sun Devils football in Tempe, Arizona.

Hawaiʻi returns home Oct. 17 to face New Mexico Lobos football, another co-regular-season champion from last season.

New conference opponents

The Rainbow Warriors will then face three of the conference’s newest members in consecutive weeks.

Hawaiʻi travels Oct. 24 to face the Northern Illinois Huskies football in DeKalb, Illinois — the program’s first appearance there. After a second bye week on Oct. 31, Hawaiʻi will play at UTEP Miners football on Nov. 7.

The Rainbow Warriors will host North Dakota State Bison football on Nov. 14 in the first meeting between the schools.

Closing the regular season

Hawaiʻi will close the regular season with a road game against the Nevada Wolf Pack football on Nov. 21 in Reno, Nevada, before returning home to face the Sacramento State Hornets football on Nov. 28.

The date for the Mountain West championship game has not yet been announced.

Schedule notes

Hawaiʻi will open the season away from home for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons and will play two games against power conference opponents — Stanford and Arizona State — both on the road.

The Rainbow Warriors will also compete for three rivalry trophies during the season: the Island Showdown Trophy against UNLV, the Paniolo Trophy against Wyoming and the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy against San José State. Hawaiʻi currently holds the Paniolo Trophy.

Only three of Hawaiʻi’s 12 opponents played in bowl games in 2025 — UNLV, Arizona State and New Mexico — while four teams on the schedule won at least eight games last season: North Dakota State (12), UNLV (10), New Mexico (9) and Arizona State (8).

2026 HAWAI’I FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date – Opponent

Aug. 29 – at Stanford

Sept. 5 – UNLV*

Sept. 12 – New Mexico State

Sept. 19 — Bye Week

Sept. 26 – at Wyoming*

Oct. 3 – San José State*

Oct. 10 – at Arizona State

Oct. 17 – New Mexico*

Oct. 24 – at Northern Illinois*

Oct. 31 — Bye Week

Nov. 7 – at UTEP*

Nov. 14 – North Dakota State*

Nov. 21 – at Nevada*

Nov. 28 – Sacramento State

 

* denotes Mountain West game | Home games in bold

Kaiser spoils Castle’s homecoming with 42-20 win

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Oct 3, 2026

KANEOHE — Kaiser built a four-touchdown lead, weathered a spirited Castle comeback and pulled away for a 42-20 victory Friday night in an OIA Division II game. The Cougars got back into the win column as they improved to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in...

Slow starts have continued dooming Hawai’i football

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Oct 1, 2026

HONOLULU – The red light is flashing. The alarm bells have not hit full blast and there might be many weekends remaining in the 2026 college football season, but an unexpected 1-3 start by the University of Hawai’i football team has put everyone...

Campbell sweeps Pearl City for season series sweep

Campbell sweeps Pearl City for season series sweep

Sep 29, 2026

PEARL CITY — Campbell completed a season sweep of Pearl City with a 25-16, 25-16, 27-25 victory Monday night in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I West girls volleyball match. The Sabers won their third consecutive match and improved to 6-2 in league play....

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Sharks baseball bounce back to earn split against Azusa Pacific

Sharks baseball bounce back to earn split against Azusa Pacific

Mar 9, 2026

Sharks baseball bounce back to earn split against Azusa Pacific

The Sharks celebrate after Noah Hata hit a home run against Azusa Pacific. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

WAIPAHU — After two heartbreaking losses to start the series, the Hawai’i Pacific University baseball team had a prime opportunity to reveal what kind of team it was.

Not only did the Sharks win the next two games against Asuza Pacific University to split the season series, they did it in convincing fashion with two blowout wins last Saturday at Hans L’Orange Park.

HPU (10-11) won the first game of Saturday’s double-header, 8-1, before recording 14 hits in a 10-2 win over the Cougars (10-14) in the nightcap.

It was the type of performance that coach Dane Fujinaka wanted to see from his squad after losing a pair of leads in the eighth inning the previous two nights.

“Proud of the response,” said Fujinaka. “We executed the plans we set out and the boys did a great showing up with great energy after two tough losses. Nice to see our toughness show up.”

In the series opener against APU Thursday night, HPU held a 5-2 lead after captain Noah Hata’s first home run of the season before giving up three runs in the top of the eighth on a pair of homers by the Cougars. The game remained tied for six consecutive innings before ending in the 15th with APU winning game one, 9-7.

Friday night did not go into extra innings, but it was a lot tighter with the lead exchanging hands a couple of times before a bases-loaded walk gave HPU a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth. APU ultimately tied it in the top of the eighth on a solo home run before taking the lead for good on a HPU error in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win.

“I told the boys that despite the 2-2 record, we got better,” Fujinaka said. “Losing those two close games will ultimately prepare us for tight games in the future that we will need to learn how to eventually win. We are in a good spot and we are definitely playing better all-around baseball.”

Tyler Arnold earned PacWest Player of the Week honors after a strong showing against Azusa Pacific. | Photo: Daniel Fujita

t wasn’t a series win, but the Sharks did earn some hardware from the PacWest conference after the strong showing in Saturday’s double-header win.

Sophomore corner infielder Tyler Arnold batted 11-for-18 in the series with four doubles, six runs scored and eight RBI to earn Player of the Week honors in the conference. He had three hits in two of the games and four in another. In the final game of the series, Arnold went 4-for-4 with five RBI and three doubles.

Utility Jayden Gabrillo, another sophomore, earned his second Pitcher of the Week award by pitching five scoreless innings in game four of the APU series. He allowed just one hit, walked just one batter and struck out three on an efficient 50 pitches.

Overall, Fujinaka was pleased with multiple performances from his squad.

“Taydem Hashimoto was an all star this weekend both defensively and offensively. Hata is starting to dial in his approach and is finally looking like himself. Arnold and Kan Taguchi have been great. Gabrillo has been outstanding offensively and I thought was just okay on the mound today despite the good results. But nice to see him workout off it and get in a rhythm. Thought he was better in the later innings.

Reliever Jacob Vanek throws a pitch to plate against Azusa Pacific. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Super happy with the performance of our bullpen the entire weekend. I know they were tired and I asked a lot of them this weekend but they did a great job.”

Next up for HPU, a home series against reigning PacWest champion Westmont (14-5). The four-game series was initially scheduled for Friday and Saturday, but has been pushed back to March 15 and 16 due to upcoming weather.

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UFC 326: Max Holloway loses BMF championship in one-sided affair

UFC 326: Max Holloway loses BMF championship in one-sided affair

Mar 7, 2026

UFC 326: Max Holloway loses BMF championship in one-sided affair

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) fights Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

It was a night to forget for Hawai’i’s own Max Holloway.

But regardless of the result, one thing is for certain — Holloway “ain’t done yet.”

Brazil’s Charles Oliveira defeated the Hawai‘i-native by unanimous decision to capture the BMF title in the main event of UFC 326 Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

All three judges scored the bout 50-45.

Despite the lopsided loss, Holloway vowed to be back even stronger.

“Imma come back, whoop somebody’s ass and be in title contention again,” Holloway told Joe Rogan in the Octagon after the fight.

“I ain’t done yet. Imma see Mr. Oliveira again, that’s for sure.”

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) greets Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) after their fight during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Oliveira (37-11) relied heavily on his grappling to control the fight against Holloway (27-9), taking him down in all five rounds and threatened to submit him numerous times. The former lightweight champion compiled 20 minutes, 49 seconds of control time while limiting Holloway’s usually dangerous striking attack.

The bout marked a rematch nearly 11 years in the making.

Holloway previously defeated Oliveira via first-round TKO at 1:39 during their featherweight matchup at UFC Fight Night 74 on Aug. 13, 2015, after Oliveira suffered an apparent injury near the neck and shoulder area that forced the stoppage.

Saturday’s contest unfolded much differently.

Oliveira, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, immediately implemented a grappling-heavy strategy against the strike-focused Holloway.

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) fights Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Within the first minute of the opening round, Oliveira executed an outside trip to put Holloway on his back, setting the tone for the rest of the fight.

“They came with a better game plan,” Holloway said. “You have to give it up to Oliveira. Hell of a fighter, a true BMF. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Oliveira — who is the UFC’s career record holder for submissions — appeared close to making Holloway tap out with multiple rear-naked chokes and face-crank attempts, but Holloway remained poised and even smiled to cameras in the closing minute of round one to deny an early decision.

Momentum stayed with Oliveira throughout the bout. He landed a knee early in the third round and delivered several elbows from the mounted position in the fourth.

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) fights Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

It took until the fifth and final round for Holloway to manage a take down on Olivera, but that was short-lived as the Hawai’i-native ended up on his back once again.

In the closing seconds, Holloway got back to his feet and motioned for Oliveira to meet him in the center of the Octagon by pointing at the canvas — his signature invitation to exchange strikes. Oliveira obliged briefly and landed a right hand just before the final horn.

The loss was Holloway’s first since his knockout defeat to Ilia Topuria in a featherweight title fight in October 2024.

Meanwhile, Oliveira improved to 2-0 since his own first-round knockout loss to Topuria in a vacant title fight last June.

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) enters the octagon before the fight against Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) enters the octagon before the fight against Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Mar 7, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) greets Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) after their fight during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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