Hawai’i suffers first setback in sloppy four-set loss to No. 9 Stanford

Hawai’i suffers first setback in sloppy four-set loss to No. 9 Stanford

Feb 7, 2025

Hawai’i OH Louis Sakanoko jousts at the net for a point with a Stanford Cardinal. The Rainbow Warriors saw a 12-game winning streak against the Cardinal snapped on Friday night. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i suffers first setback in sloppy four-set loss to No. 9 Stanford

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 7, 2025

HONOLULU – Tough night. 

The fourth-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team fell for the first time this season on Friday night, committing 44 errors as a group across four sets as No. 9 Stanford (4-4) snapped a 12-match slide against the Rainbow Warriors, (19-25, 26-24, 25-23, 26-24). Cardinal outside hitter Theo Snoey ripped off a contest-best 23 kills on 43 swings, recording a point on 15 of his final 22 attacks to help the visitors hand UH its first loss in the month of February since 2019. 

“He really heated up,” Hawai’i head coach Charlie Wade said about Snoey after the game. “He was under 10% through two sets and then just really good down the stretch. Unstoppable, he was really kind of doing whatever he wanted.” 

The Rainbow Warriors were led by Kristian Titriyski’s career-high 21 kills, seeing the freshman opposite hit .472 with four attacking errors. Sophomore outside Louis Sakanoko followed behind with 15 kills and eight digs while setter Tread Rosenthal dished out 46 assists for UH. 

Hawai’i (9-1) started out strong, taking an early 13-9 advantage in the first set after a solo block from Titriyski elicited the first true pop from the crowd of nearly 7,500 screaming fans dressed in white for the first “White Out” of the season as the Rainbow Warriors wore new “White Tapa” uniforms. The Cardinal remained calm, keeping within two at the media timeout thanks to three service errors from UH in the opening frame. 

The Rainbow Warriors started to groove after the stoppage, holding Stanford comfortably away as the visitors tried to reset again with a timeout while down 20-17. Titriyski, who had six kills on eight swings in the match’s first set, quickly showed there would be no changing of the first-round fate as the Bulgarian freshman smoked across two aces to help close the stanza, 25-19. 

Louis Sakanoko continued the Hawai’i pressure with an early run at the service line to begin the second set, helping the hosts get out to a 5-2 advantage before the Cardinal scored on five of the next six rallies to jump in front and temporarily quiet the crowd. More Hawai’i mistakes helped power a 7-0 Stanford run, opening a commanding 18-12 lead for the visitors and forcing a timeout from Wade and the Rainbow Warriors.  

Following the stoppage, Hawai’i ripped off three points in a row to force Stanford to signal for its own timeout. The Rainbow Warriors continued rolling when play began once again, seeing Kurt Nusterer enjoy another solid run behind the service stripe as Hawai’i tied the set at 22-all. While UH continued to fight back, they could not fight in front as Stanford took the frame in extra points, 26-24. 

Stanford finally started a set strong to begin the third, taking a sizable 12-6 lead in the swing frame while Hawai’i lost two challenges in the process. Despite the slow start, Hawai’i fought back after falling behind 20-14 with five of the next six points. An inadvertent whistle stopped the momentum for the Rainbow Warriors, taking a point off the board which was then replayed into a service error and closed the door on a major comeback as UH miscues delivered a 2-1 lead to Stanford. 

The fourth (and ultimately final) set was back-and-forth from the first serve, seeing 21 ties and 11 lead changes in a frame that neither side held larger than a two-point advantage at any point. After a challenge by Wade overturned an out-call and delivered a 17-16 lead from an ace via Louis Sakanoko, redshirt freshman Justin Todd put the Rainbow Warriors up by two with a monster kill followed by an ace of his own to force Stanford to use its first timeout. 

As the intensity turned up, Theo Snoey answered the call for Stanford as he negated UH’s rapidly warming Kristian Titriyski with five kills over the final nine Stanford points to hold off Hawai’i from force a fifth set in extra points, 26-24. 

Hawai’i will look to regroup over the next week as the team is on a bye before heading to the east coast for four matches in three days, starting with a match against Belmont Abbey on February 20 with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m. HT. 

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

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UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULUPUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2025Powered 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...

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Hawai’i win streak reaches double figures as defense shuts down Cal Poly

Hawai’i win streak reaches double figures as defense shuts down Cal Poly

Feb 7, 2025

Hawai’i G Kelsie Imai brings the ball down the court during a home game for the Rainbow Wahine. The senior guard moved into a tie for 2nd-most career appearances by a UH WBB player on Thursday night while creeping closer to the 300 career assists milestone. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i win streak reaches double figures as defense shuts down Cal Poly

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 7, 2025

HONOLULU – Ten in a row. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team extended its winning streak into double digits on Thursday night, locking down visiting Cal Poly (10-12, 5-7 Big West) after the first quarter on the way to a dominant 67-43 victory. Redshirt sophomore guard Jovi Lefotu led the Rainbow Wahine, setting a new career high with 15 points in only 17 minutes off the bench. 

Without the services of senior guard Lily Wahinekapu for the first time all season, Hawai’i (16-6, 10-2 Big West) got contributions from both the frontcourt and backcourt to make up for the loss of the star playmaker. Freshman center Ritorya Tamilo scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for UH while Mia ‘Uhila had her second double-digit scoring output of the year, racking up 11 points and four rebounds while handing out three assists in 29 minutes of work. 

Hawai’i held Cal Poly to a paltry 27.1% from the floor, suffocating another team in a year of defensive mastery by the Rainbow Wahine. In all, UH boasts the nation’s second-best scoring defense (52.4 ppg), third-best field goal percentage defense (33.4% FG) and 22nd-ranked 3-point defense (26.2% 3PT) after Thursday night’s romp. 

Despite Wahinekapu’s absence, the Rainbow Wahine started quickly as ‘Uhila strung together five straight points after a Ritorya Tamilo mid-range jumper got the scoring going, giving Hawai’i an early 7-2 lead at opening period’s midway point. Just as quickly as they had started the stanza, UH went cold as they closed out the quarter going 1-of-10 from the floor to enter the second quarter down by one. 

While the offense still was finding ways to warm again, Hawai’i’s defense turned up another notch in the second quarter. The hosting Rainbow Wahine held the Mustangs to 2-of-15 shooting in the frame, taking a 4-point lead into halftime after a nifty finish by ‘Uhila, who scored 9 of her 11 points in the opening 20 minutes. 

“I thought the first half, we were a little bit out of sorts not having Lily on the floor,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman reflected after the game. “Lily does a lot for us offensively, but I don’t think anyone recognized what she does for us on the boards … I think we just had to kind of figure out that we were going to be just fine without her [tonight].” 

While Cal Poly scratched in the first points out of the break, the Hawai’i defense picked right back up where it had left off in the opening half. Using smothering defense on one end, the Rainbow Wahine started to find an offensive rhythm with a refocused group. UH expanded its halftime lead to 13 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, watching Lefotu and Kelsie Imai take turns scoring on the Mustangs’ defense until the visitors were forced to call for timeout. 

The post-halftime onslaught continued into the final frame, scoring 11 of the first 14 points of the fourth quarter to push the advantage above 20. Hawai’i would lead by as many as 27 points before calling off the dogs, securing the team’s 10th straight win with a 67-43 domination of the Mustangs. 

“Intensity,” Beeman said when asked about the biggest difference in her team between each half. “When we play with intensity and focus, we’re very, very good, and we did not have intensity and focus [in the first half], we had a little uncertainty … In the second half, they showed exactly who they are.” 

Kelsie Imai scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two more assists in her second start of the season, moving into sole possession of 8th-place on the University of Hawai’i career assists list (297). Brooklyn Rewers added 11 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench for the Rainbow Wahine, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the second half after a tough shooting start.  

Annika Shah was the lone player to finish in double figures for Cal Poly, scoring 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting as the UH defense made the scorer uncomfortable from the opening tip. Sierra Lichtie added nine points and four rebounds for the Mustangs while Sydney Bourland chipped in with eight points and five boards. 

Hawai’i returns to action on Saturday, looking to avenge one of the two conference losses on the team’s ledger, hosting UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. HT. The Gauchos defeated the Rainbow Wahine in the islands back on January 2, 72-62, taking advantage of a short-handed UH team without the services of Kelsie Imai, Imani Perez and Jovi Lefotu. 

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

by | Mar 20, 2025

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULUPUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2025Powered 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...

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Koonce’s monster 2nd half sparks Cal Poly over Hawai’i

Koonce’s monster 2nd half sparks Cal Poly over Hawai’i

Feb 6, 2025

Hawai’i C Tanner Christensen walks off the floor during a home game for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Koonce’s monster 2nd half sparks Cal Poly over Hawai’i

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 6, 2025

Bottom fell out. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw a nine-game winning streak against Cal Poly (9-15, 3-9 Big West) snapped on Thursday night, going ice cold over the final eight minutes of regulation as they fell on the road to the Mustangs, 79-63. Cal Poly guard Owen Koonce led all scorers with 20 points, all coming after halftime as he tormented UH defenders down the stretch. 

Gytis Nemeikša and Ryan Rapp were the lone Hawai’i players in double figures, chipping in 13 and 10 points respectively off the bench in the loss. Kody Williams and Tanner Christensen each added nine points as the Rainbow Warriors shot 23% from the field after halftime. Christensen took only five shots throughout the night and only attempted two looks in the second half as UH struggled to get the 6-foot-10 center involved offensively against the smaller Mustangs. 

The Mustangs enjoyed a strong transition attack throughout the game, scoring 18 points on the fast break the just two points for Hawai’i. The Rainbow Warriors (13-10, 5-7 Big West) lost the turnover battle once again, committing five more giveaways than Cal Poly while battling to a tie on the glass. 

Cal Poly also drilled 11 of its 31 attempts from distance, five more 3-pointers than Hawai’i, as the offense slowly heated up until boiling over in the second half for the hosts. The sweet shooting began early as guard Isaac Jessup knocked down a pair of triples to push the Mustangs out to an 11-5 lead through the opening four minutes of play. 

Nemeikša’s first appearance helped Hawai’i pull back within a pair by the 7:30 mark of the first half, sewing together a putback layup with a clean look from distance before a strong Christensen finish capped off the quick run. After Ethan Menzies knocked down his only 3-pointer of the game to put Cal Poly up by seven with under six minutes left in the first half, an aggressive Aaron Hunkin-Claytor helped the Rainbow Warriors rip off a 13-5 run to head into the locker room leading by a point, 35-34. The freshman guard had four points, three rebounds and only one turnover during the final 5:54 of the half, pushing the tempo as he could while creating some easier looks for teammates.

The Mustangs exited the locker rooms with a renewed purpose, scoring the first six points out of halftime before Harry Rouhliadeff finally got Hawai’i on the board off an easy feed from Hunkin-Claytor. Mustangs guard Jarred Hyder rolled in a 3-pointer to put Cal Poly back up by six, but back-to-back buckets from Ryan Rapp started a series of scores from both sides that brought the Rainbow Warriors back. Marcus Greene would drain his only three of the night with 11:22 left in regulation, pulling UH within a point, 52-51. 

Another Nemeikša scoring cluster came following the under-12-minute timeout, giving Hawai’i the lead for the first time since the opening moments of the second half as he knocked down a short jumper with 9:21 left to play to make it 55-54. After the hit by Nemo, the Rainbow Warriors went ice cold for four and a half minutes as they watched Koonce and the Mustangs race back ahead with an 11-0 run. 

Tom Beattie briefly ended the UH scoring drought with a putback at the 5-minute mark, but the Rainbow Warriors would be outscored 14-6 over the final minutes as Cal Poly beat Hawai’i for the first time in five years with a convincing 79-63 decision.

Jerrad Hyder added 18 points in the victory for Cal Poly, knocking down four 3-pointers in 34 minutes of action. Isaac Jessup added nine points, six rebounds and four assists for the Mustangs, who have won three of their last four games after starting the conference slate 0-8. 

Hawai’i will look to bounce back to close out the road trip on Saturday, heading over to UC Santa Barbara to try and muster a split of both the season series and trip to the continent. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. HT. 

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

by | Mar 20, 2025

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Hawai’i slips by No. 9 Stanford in five sets to remain unbeaten

Hawai’i slips by No. 9 Stanford in five sets to remain unbeaten

Feb 6, 2025

Hawai’i players come together after a point during the Rainbow Warriors’ five-set thriller against No. 9 Stanford. UH donned new kelly green jerseys, one of two unique uniforms to be worn by the ‘Bows this week. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i slips by No. 9 Stanford in five sets to remain unbeaten

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 6, 2025

HONOLULU – Good or bad, still a win. 

The fourth-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team showed off a flair for the dramatic again on Wednesday night, going the distance and needing extra points to down No. 9 Stanford, (23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 20-25, 16-14). Freshman opposite Kristian Titriyski paced the Rainbow Warriors, demolishing 15 kills while adding five digs and a service ace. 

Sophomore outside hitter Louis Sakanoko got his second consecutive start for UH, rewarding the coaching staff’s confidence with 14 kills and four digs to go along with an ace and a block. Freshman outside Adrien Roure finished with double figure kills for the seventh time in nine matches, tallying 13 putdowns for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Stanford (3-4) saw its recent struggles against the UH men’s volleyball team continue, falling for the 10th consecutive time to the Rainbow Warriors in the islands and 12th consecutive time overall. The Cardinal, who were playing their first true road contest of the season, fought back in front of the near-6,000 fans in attendance from being down a set to force a fifth frame, making Hawai’i (9-0) play into extra points before eventually succumbing to the sheer force of host’s talented assortment of players. 

The month of February continued its kindness to Hawai’i as the Rainbow Warriors overcame nearly 40 errors to win their 38th straight match during the calendar month, dating back to 2019.  

The Cardinal, coming off back-to-back home losses against No. 2 UC Irvine, threw the first punch Wednesday night as they raced out to a 15-10 lead behind a .471 team hitting percentage on 17 total swings. Hawai’i, adjusting to the speed of the Stanford attack, worked itself back within a pair a few minutes later with an ace from freshman serving specialist Finn Kearney. 

Hawai’i came close to forcing extra points in the first set, pulling within a point after an attacking error from Nate Clinton blew the premier set point chance of the night. With a chance to knot the match at 24, the Rainbow Warriors set up Ofeck Hazan in the middle of the net, but the freshman middle blocker’s swing saw the ball sail just wide as Stanford took the first frame. 

The hosts got off to a much stronger start in the second stanza, using a productive attack and four errors from the service line by Stanford to help build a 14-8 lead. After seeing the Cardinal pull within two themselves, 22-20, the Rainbow Warriors rattled off three straight points to slam the door on the second set and knot the match at one set apiece. 

Libero ‘Eleu Choy (5) lets out a celebratory shout after Hawai’i wins a rally against No. 9 Stanford. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Stanford answered back with a strong opening to the third frame, jumping out to a 13-7 advantage as Hawai’i committed five errors. Four straight points from the Rainbow Warriors forced a Cardinal timeout, but the momentum had shifted quickly in favor of the hosts as the fans in attendance got loud once again. 

After the Stanford timeout, Kurt Nusterer put together an impressive run at the service line as Hawai’i scored eight straight points to flip the frame on its head and give the lead to UH, 21-16. The teams took turns trading six errors in a row from the service line, setting up set point for the Rainbow Warriors in the swing stanza with a 24-18 cushion. After the Cardinal staved off the set loss for one point, Kristian Titriyski closed out the frame with 13th kill of the night to put Hawai’i on the cusp of another win. 

The Cardinal would not go down that easily though, dominating the fourth set from the jump to put Hawai’i in a 7-point hole by the media timeout. UH closed the stanza strong, fighting off a pair of set winners before finally dropping the frame, 25-20, forcing a winner-take-all fifth to play. 

Hawai’i burst out of the gate to start the set, using a pair of Rosenthal aces to go out in front and force a Stanford timeout as the Rainbow Warriors went up 3-0. The timeout stalled the UH momentum momentarily, seeing the Cardinal take five of the next six points to go in front by one.  

Freshman Kainoa Wade, who saw time in three sets on Wednesday night, knotted the match back up a couple rallies later as he snuck an attack inside the right pin before Kurt Nusterer smacked an ace to re-ignite the Hawai’i crowd. The two sides continued trading blows until the Rainbow Warriors grabbed a slight 12-10 advantage with a Nusterer and Adrien Roure combined block of Moses Wager. 

After Stanford fought off back-to-back aloha ball points, a service error from Cardinal star Theo Snoey put Hawai’i back in prime position to take the match. Tread Rosenthal did the honors, dunking on two to help Hawai’i survive its third five-set thriller of the season in extra points, 16-14. 

Theo Snoey racked up a match-high 19 kills on 40 swings in the loss for Stanford, adding nine digs while committing seven serving errors in an up-and-down night. Opposite Moses Wagner chipped in 14 kills, seven digs and five blocks for the Cardinal, who have lost three straight matches after starting the season with victories in three of their first four. 

Hawai’i and Stanford reconvene for Round 2 on Friday night with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. HT. Fans are encouraged to attend the alumni game at 4:30 p.m. and come wearing white shirts as the Rainbow Warriors look to “white out” the Stan Sheriff Center for the second meeting against the Cardinal. 

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

by | Mar 20, 2025

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Mana Wahine Wednesday: Hawai’i T&F high jumper Lilian Turban

Mana Wahine Wednesday: Hawai’i T&F high jumper Lilian Turban

Feb 5, 2025

Mana Wahine Wednesday: Hawai’i T&F high jumper Lilian Turban

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 5, 2025

HONOLULU – It almost feels like it happened by accident. 

University of Hawai’i high jumper Lilian Turban has never had a doubt about her love for track and field. In a way, the senior was born to be a star in the sport – the question that always lingered was where it could and would take her in life. 

From an admittedly “tiny” Eastern European country located up near the polar lines named Estonia, Turban grew up in a Hall of Fame track and field house as the daughter of two stars of the sport. Her father, Marko, competed in the 1996 Olympic Games as a high jumper and holds the Estonian national record for the event to this day with a leap of 2.30 meters. Her mother, Anu Kaljurand, was a star in her prime as well, competing at BYU and winning the gold medal at the 1992 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the women’s heptathlon before going on to finish 17th in the 1992 Summer Olympics in the same event. 

While her parents made their names known in the track and field world, Lilian Turban’s first sport was the opposite of both the track and field. The high jumper started her athletic career in the pool as a swimmer before attempting to play tennis, which she struggled with due to her consistent desire to have her feet off the ground. 

“So, I was swimming, mostly because my parents just wanted me to learn to swim,” Turban laughed as she talked about her early sporting careers. “I swam competitively for a few years I would say. Then I tried to play tennis, but the coaches were saying how [I] couldn’t keep [my] legs on the ground and that [I] needed to jump.” 

Around age 10, Turban’s parents relented and allowed her to full dive into the sport that had seen many of their previous successes go into the history books. Similar to her mother, Lilian wanted to live out an “American dream” by competing for a college program in the United States. 

Not as similar, the young high jumper wanted to go to a place far warmer than Utah. 

“I wanted to do the same thing [as my mom],” Turban recalled. “But I knew I wanted to go to a warm place because Estonia in winter gets really dark, it’s almost polar night, no sun and it’s really cold. I’ve always felt like a warm weather person.” 

With those parameters in mind, Turban began researching potential options to continue her track and field career while attending a university in America that resided in a warmer climate. Her first thoughts were to look into schools in California and Florida, but after finding out about a database of all the schools that have certain programs, a new place popped up. 

“I found out that there was a [Division 1] women’s track and field program in Hawai’i,” Turban recalled. “At first, I honestly thought it was a joke or like it must be fake – like there’s no way there’s a D1 college in Hawai’i in the first place.” 

After further inspection and a few messages shared back and forth with Rainbow Wahine track and field head coach Tim Boyce, the islands of Hawai’i suddenly became a real option for the track and field standout’s next step. While she planned to take visits and explore all of her options, the world had different ideas. 

The COVID-19 pandemic took away Turban’s plans to go on a trip to the United States and visit a multitude of colleges that she had talked to about potentially continuing her training at, forcing the high jumper to make a decision without stepping foot on any potential campus first. 

“My thought was if I don’t go to Hawai’i, I think I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” Turban explained. “It worked out perfectly and now, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” 

PHOTO CREDIT: HAWAII ATHLETICS

She would join the Rainbow Wahine track and field program in 2022, making an immediate impact as she took first place in her collegiate debut in the high jump at the Beach Opener 2022. Turban elevated 5-foot-10 inches (1.78m) in her first competition to hold the top spot, a mark that stood as the best nationally for two weeks. 

That was only the beginning of her ascent up the University of Hawai’i record books, where she now holds the second-highest jumps in Rainbow Wahine program history for both the indoor (1.86m) and outdoor (1.87m) teams as she enters her senior season. Last year as a junior, Turban became the first Rainbow Wahine athlete since 2010 and just the third ever to qualify and compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. 

After an injury held the star high jumper out for the majority of her junior outdoor season, Turban is healthy and ready to attack another year with the Rainbow Wahine. With the gift of health, another year of high jump greatness should be on the way for Turban. 

Regardless, her dreams have become reality in her preferred warm climate, two things she could not be more grateful for. 

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT

by | Mar 20, 2025

UNLV cuts down Hawai’i in opening round of WBIT BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULUPUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2025Powered 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...

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