UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

Mar 20, 2025

Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman looks on during a regular season home game. The Rainbow Wahine saw the 2025 season come to a close on Thursday evening, falling in the first round of the 2025 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament to Mountain West regular season champion UNLV. | Photo Credit: Michel Lasquero, HSRN

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2025

Powered off and pau. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team saw the end of another incredible season on Thursday, falling to No. 2 UNLV in the first round of the 2025 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, 63-46. Lily Wahinekapu led all scorers with 18 points, tallying 12 in the fourth quarter as Big West Player of the Year tried her hardest to pull UH back late. 

“UNLV is an incredible team,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said to open her postgame comments. “I want to congratulate [head coach Lindy La Rocque] and her staff and their players. She does a phenomenal job with this program; there’s a reason why they’re a [number one seed in the Mountain West] year-in-and-year-out.” 

The Lady Rebels (26-7) were paced by redshirt freshman Meadow Roland, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year, who had 16 points and two blocks off the bench. The 6-foot-2 forward scored 11 of her 16 in the first half, helping UNLV take a seven-point lead into the locker room at the break. 

Hawai’i (22-10) started strong, scoring the game’s first eight points before allowing the Lady Rebels to close the opening quarter on a 12-2 run. Senior guard Kelsie Imai provided a spark with all five of her points in first 10 minutes, knocking down a 3-pointer as the Rainbow Wahine only trailed by a pair after one period of play. 

3-pointers by Brooklyn Rewers and Mia ‘Uhila helped Hawai’i keep within one midway through the second quarter, but five straight points from Roland and a triple by McKinna Brackens pushed the UNLV advantage to 27-20 by the halftime break. Seven turnovers by the Rainbow Wahine were a setback, but the Big West regular season champions locked down on the defensive end and held the Lady Rebels to 34% shooting through the first 20 minutes. 

“Our goal was to come out and start the game a lot stronger than what we did in the semifinals at the Big West [Tournament],” said Beeman. “We wanted to compete. We told the girls we were going to leave everything on the floor, I think they did … With the speed and the length of UNLV, the [passing] windows are very, very small.”  

The Lady Rebels opened a double-digit lead to begin the third quarter, scoring the first two buckets out of the locker rooms to force Beeman to call for a timeout less than two minutes after play had resumed. The stoppage did little to break the UNLV momentum as the Mountain West regular season champions pieced together an 11-0 run in total before Rewers finally scored with 4:52 left in the period. 

‘Uhila hit her second 3-pointer after the media timeout and Rewers added another bucket that made it 39-27, but a Macy Spencer three and Kiara Jackson layup canceled out a Wahinekapu steal-and-score to send UNLV into the fourth quarter leading by 15. 

“Third quarter was rough,” Beeman said. “We could not score the ball, gave up some boards, gave up some big shots but this team has never stopped playing.” 

Wahinekapu and Imani Perez scored the first two baskets of the final frame, pulling Hawai’i within 11 before UNLV strung together 9 of the next 12 points to go up 53-36 with just over four minutes left to play. Looking for a miracle, Hawai’i turned to Wahinekapu as the senior guard scored the final 10 points for the Rainbow Wahine before finally being subdued by the Lady Rebels, 63-46. 

Sophomore guard Amarachi Kimpson, who moved into the starting lineup this year after becoming the first Lady Rebel to ever win Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season in 2023-24, chipped in with 14 points and three assists in 30 minutes for UNLV. Macy Spencer added 10 points for the Mountain West regular season champions, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers off the bench to help propel the Lady Rebels into the second round of the WBIT on Sunday against Florida. 

Brooklyn Rewers was the only player other than Wahinekapu to finish in double figures for Hawai’i, scoring 10 points and snagging four rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. Rebounding woes appeared again for the Rainbow Wahine, nearly getting doubled up on the glass by the Lady Rebels, 47-26. 

With the season-ending loss, Hawai’i says aloha to a special group of seniors that leave the program with their names littered across the record books. With her final assist against UNLV, Kelsie Imai finished her time with the Rainbow Wahine with the fifth-most assists in program history, breaking a tie with Ayesha Brooks (‘87-90) as she turns in her shoes after 318 career dimes. 

Imai also finishes her five seasons with UH with the second-most career games played (136), trailing only teammate and fellow fifth-year senior guard MeiLani McBee, who appeared in a program-record 140 games during her time in the islands. McBee also ends her Hawai’i career as the all-time leading 3-point shooter, knocking down 208 shots from behind the arc. 

Wahinekapu’s efforts in the islands landed the ‘Iolani alum in the top 20 of all-time scorers for the program, tallying 1,114 points across three seasons. In total, Hawai’i came out of the COVID-19 pandemic with four total Big West titles (two regular season, two Big West Tournament), more than 80 victories and a lifetime of memories for the islands thanks in large part to this group of graduating seniors. 

“What you tell a locker room like that is sit in your disappointment for a few minutes but man, celebrate what you’ve done,” said Beeman of the conversation amongst the team after the final buzzer. “This group, particularly this senior group, has done something incredibly, incredibly special. You’re always disappointed after a loss, but a result cannot overshadow the accomplishment of what this group has done.” 

The second straight WBIT appearance marked the ninth postseason tournament showing for Hawai’i in 13 years under Beeman and was the 20th time that the Rainbow Wahine have ever extended the season further than the conference tournament. Hawai’i has not won a postseason game since 2001 when the program reached the WNIT semifinals. 

Hawai’i AD search takes next step; search committee announced by Hensel

Hawai’i AD search takes next step; search committee announced by Hensel

Mar 19, 2025

Former UH AD David Matlin (left) poses with Craig Angelos (center) and former UH President David Lassner after Angelos’ introductory press conference in May 2023. The school announced a search committee on Wednesday to search for Angelos’ replacement. | Photo Credit: Paul Brecht, HSRN

Hawai’i AD search takes next step; search committee announced by Hensel

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 2025

HONOLULU – The search for the new University of Hawai’i athletics director took a major step forward on Wednesday. 

The school announced the names of a 10-person search committee that will be tasked with identifying and sorting through candidates for the major job opening, stating that the intention is to conduct interviews by the late stages of May and make a hire to fill the position by mid-to-late summer. 

The committee will be co-chaired by UH Board of Regents Chair Gabriel Lee and Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Chairman Jack Tsui, though President Hensel will make the ultimate call on who is selected to fill the AD position. Other members of the search committee include Bank of Hawaii CEO & Chairman Peter Ho, Rainbow Wahine soccer coach Michele Nagamine, ‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue Chair and member of the Hawai’i Bowl Executive Committee Leslie Campaniano and Punahou School AD and former Rainbow Wahine volleyball player Tita Ahuna. 

The other four members of the official search committee are Spectrum Sports Analyst and former UH men’s basketball player Artie Wilson, President & COO of aio Susan Eichor, UH faculty athletic representative Scott Sinnett and Director of the Hawai’i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism James Tokioka. The announcement also mentioned that an “ex officio advisory group of UH Mānoa student-athletes and staff will also be named soon and will have the opportunity to meet with finalists to provide input on the selection.” 

UH President Wendy Hensel said in the announcement: 

“As Hawai’i’s only NCAA Division I program, UH Mānoa athletics plays a crucial role in our state’s sports culture and economy. We need an athletics director who is not only a strategic and dynamic leader but also a strong fundraiser who can navigate the many challenges ahead, including the lack of a Division I football stadium.” 

With the creation of the 10-person search committee, meetings will begin this month while national firm Parker Executive Search works with UH to “facilitate the hiring process.” The firm plans to employ strategies like listening sessions in March and April to gather feedback from the local community to help develop position descriptions and candidate profiles. 

Hensel also acknowledged the importance of acting with urgency while still adhering to a strong, thorough process, mentioning working with a “tight timeline” to fill the position no later than the end of the summer. The new president also made note of her appreciation of a partnership with Governor Josh Green and Mayor Rick Blangiardi and mentioned that the two would bring unique insight and support through the search. 

The school has had Lois Manin as acting athletics director since Dec. 2, filling into the role in an interim basis and steering the ship after outgoing president David Lassner terminated the job status of former AD Craig Angelos in the waning days of November. The school cited performance issues for the reasoning behind Angelos’ sudden removal, a move that sent shockwaves through the local scene and caused some national stir. 

In 18 months on the job, Angelos had been tasked with helping navigate the school through an ever-changing collegiate sports landscape with realignment at the top of the list and an impending apparel decision for the school. The BYU alum helped deliver the majority of the school’s athletic programs into the Mountain West, a conference already housing the Rainbow Warriors’ football team, and brought an agreement between Nike and UH to the doorstep of being done before being let go. 

Since Angelos’ departure, Hawai’i has announced the new apparel deal with Nike while Manin extended football head coach Timmy Chang and women’s volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow. 

Among the many things for the new athletics director to handle upon arrival will be decisions after the upcoming final judgement of the House vs. NCAA class action lawsuit settlement on April 7, the media rights deal with the Mountain West and continuing to find new streams of revenue for the school to compete and survive in the changing college landscape. The hope from Hensel is to finalize the position no later than August, with eyes on wrapping up the process sooner if possible. 

Hawai’i set to face UNLV in first round of 2025 WBIT

Hawai’i set to face UNLV in first round of 2025 WBIT

Mar 16, 2025

Hawai’i G Lily Wahinekapu celebrates from the bench with her team during Senior Night for the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i set to face UNLV in first round of 2025 WBIT

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MARCH 16, 2025

HONOLULU – Different dance, still moving – but to a Ninth Island Showdown. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team will stay in Nevada for the first round of the 2025 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, taking on No. 2 seed UNLV on Thursday, March 20 with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. HT in Las Vegas. Just the second year of the WBIT, Hawai’i (22-9) clinched an automatic bid to the 32-team event by securing their second straight Big West regular season title. 

The first three rounds of the WBIT are played at the home of the higher seed before the event shifts to Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., for the semifinal and championship rounds on March 31 and April 2. Illinois won the inaugural WBIT in 2024, defeating Villanova in the title game, 71-57. 

Much like the Rainbow Wahine, the Lady Rebels (25-7) dominated throughout conference play on the way to a regular season title in the Mountain West before falling in the conference semifinal round. Hawai’i started cold after receiving a double-bye, dropping a 51-49 heartbreaker to UC San Diego while UNLV dispatched Boise State in the quarterfinals before a doomed second quarter against San Diego State ended their reign over the Mountain West. 

The loss to SDSU snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Lady Rebels in the Mountain West Tournament, winning the previous three conference tournament titles before the semifinal setback this year. UNLV had two different win streaks of eight or more games this season, especially rolling over competition when at home as the Lady Rebels went 16-1 as hosts. 

“[UNLV head coach Lindy La Rocque] does a great job with that program,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said after finding out her squad’s first round matchup. “Since she has taken it over, [UNLV] has just been on the way up and up.” 

The Rainbow Wahine are 16-34 against UNLV all-time, losing the last two matchups against the Lady Rebels. The two programs met last in December of 2022, seeing UNLV pull out a 76-66 victory over UH. Lily Wahinekapu had 12 points for Hawai’i in the loss, a freshman year Imani Perez chipped in with five points and five rebounds off the bench and MeiLani McBee was held scoreless in 18 minutes of action in a game that UH had tied in the fourth quarter. 

“We definitely have a good game on our hands,” Beeman continued. “I think it’s going to come down to what Hawai’i team shows up and I think if we show up, we have a really good chance of moving on – which is something this program hasn’t been able to do in the postseason.” 

The WBIT bid marks the fourth consecutive season that the Rainbow Wahine secured a spot in a national postseason tournament, matching a program record, and the ninth total time under head coach Laura Beeman. Hawai’i is 6-21 across 20 overall tournament appearances, last winning a game (NCAA, WNIT, WBIT) in 2001 when the program made a run to the WNIT Semifinals with three straight victories. 

With a victory, Hawai’i would face the winner of the No. 3 Florida (16-17) – Northern Iowa (17-16) matchup in the second round on Sunday, March 23. One more victory would tie the program’s highest single-season win total under Beeman. The first three rounds of games will be broadcast on ESPN+, the semifinal round will be on ESPNU and the title game will be on ESPN2.

(Hawai’i went 23-9 during the 2014-15 season before getting knocked out in the first round of the WNIT.) 

USC snaps Hawai’i win streak, wins first OUTRIGGER title

USC snaps Hawai’i win streak, wins first OUTRIGGER title

Mar 15, 2025

Hawai’i OH Adrien Roure goes against the block in four-set loss to No. 5 USC. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

USC snaps Hawai’i win streak, wins first OUTRIGGER title

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MARCH 15, 2025

HONOLULU – Trojans triumphant. 

The third-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team fell for just the second time this season on Saturday night, dropping the 2025 OUTRIGGER Invitational championship match against No. 5 USC (16-2) in four sets, 21-25, 20-25, 28-26, 25-21. Dillon Klein turned in an incredible performance, crushing 21 kills while hitting .588 with only one attacking error for the Trojans as they snapped the Rainbow Warriors’ 10-game winning streak. 

Kristian Titriyski recorded a season-high 23 kills for the hosts, who struggled with consistency throughout the match against the visitors from the MPSF. Titriyski committed 12 of Hawai’i’s 23 total attacking errors as he got 49 chances to unload a swing while Adrien Roure and Louis Sakanoko had rough nights from the service line with seven combined errors. 

“There’s no question, they played really good, and we really did not play up to our numbers,” Hawai’i head coach Charlie Wade said following the match. “In a big match like this, you hope somebody is going to elevate their game. Adrien had a nice night offensively, but we needed him to serve better … Kristian served really well, [but] we needed him to hit better, we need him to block better. I think we needed ‘Eleu [Choy] to pass and receive a little better, we needed Tread [Rosenthal] to set a little better.” 

Roure did match his career high in kills with 17 on 31 swings, hitting .452 with three attacking errors for Hawai’i. Choy committed four reception errors, the most in any match this season for the superhuman libero, but also recorded 10 digs for the third time this year. 

“We were a little off across the board and Dillon Klein was amazing,” Wade continued. 

Klein’s efforts led to the junior outside hitter being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, recording 47 kills across three matches in which the Trojans dropped a singular frame. He was joined by teammates Parker Tomkinson and Punahou Schools alum Jack Deuchar on the all-tournament team as the Trojans finally broke through to win an OUTRIGGER Invitational title. USC had finished as the tournament runners-up in each of the two previous appearances in the event (‘09, ‘10). 

USC took early control of the opening set, using a variety of Hawai’i miscues and their own high-flying theatrics to snag a four-point lead by the media timeout. A solo block from Kurt Nusterer looked to give the Rainbow Warriors some life out of the stoppage, but Klein continued to heat up as his fifth kill of the first set forced Wade to signal for timeout with UH trailing 21-16. 

Tomkinson and Sterling Foley combined to deny Titriyski when play resumed, but four straight Hawai’i points following the block forced USC to cook through both timeouts. Unfortunately for the hosts, the early deficit proved to be too much as the Trojans took the first frame, 25-21. 

The second set looked to be Hawai’i’s revenge as the Rainbow Warriors held a four-point advantage through the first 20 points, but USC dropped in back-to-back aces along with another Klein kill to pull within one and force a timeout from UH. The USC run continued after the break, turning the multi-point deficit into a three-point lead to drain the second Hawai’i timeout. The stoppages merely delayed the inevitable as the Trojans took the second frame, 25-20. 

Hawai’i was able to remain alive by taking the must-have third set in extra points, fighting off two USC match points behind the thunderous cheering inside the Stan Sheriff Center. With a season-high 7,771 fans in attendance and screaming, Kurt Nusterer and Kristian Titriyski seemed to float a touch higher on their final two swings as they sent a match into a fourth frame for the first time for either side all weekend. 

A fan holds up one of the many creative signs for the Hawai’i men’s volleyball team. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

USC raced out of the gate in the fourth set, taking an early 7-3 lead with the help of three more UH errors. Hawai’i would fight back to tie and even take a two-point lead after Klein committed his only attacking error of the evening, but a 7-0 run by the Trojans that was powered by four Klein kills catapulted USC ahead 19-14 and effectively end the night. 

Jack Deuchar finished the night with 15 kills and five service aces for USC, enjoying his final chance to play back in the islands after graduating from Punahou in 2020. Sterling Foley added 12 kills of his own for the Trojans and Parker Tomkinson chipped in with four kills and five blocks in the upset. 

Kurt Nusterer and Justin Todd turned in impressive offensive nights from the center, going for seven and eight kills respectively while committing one error between the two middle blockers.  

Tread Rosenthal dished out 53 assists and had seven digs as the sophomore was named to the all-tournament team for the hosts. Adrien Roure was the other Rainbow Warrior to earn all-tournament team honors while Penn State redshirt junior Ryan Merk and Ball State sophomore Braydon Savitski-Lynde rounded out the honorees for the 2025 OUTRIGGER Invitational.  

The loss by the Rainbow Warriors snapped a six-game winning streak in the OUTRIGGER Invitational and denied the hosts from their 12th overall title in the event. 

Hawai’i won’t return to action until March 28 against No. 13 UC San Diego, enjoying a bye week after an intense first half of the season. 

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

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

Mar 14, 2025

Hawai’i men’s volleyball huddles after scoring a point against No. 19 Penn State. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

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

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MARCH 14, 2025

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).