No. 4 Hawai’i shows off service line sorcery in four-set win over No. 19 Princeton

No. 4 Hawai’i shows off service line sorcery in four-set win over No. 19 Princeton

Jan 15, 2025

Hawai’i’s starters celebrate a point during a home match. The ‘Bows stayed unbeaten on Wednesday, taking down No. 19 Princeton to remain unbeaten. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

No. 4 Hawai’i shows off service line sorcery in four-set win over No. 19 Princeton

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 15, 2025

HONOLULU – Le service est compris. 

Less than a week after committing 22 service errors against Harvard in an epic five-set win, the No. 4 University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team welcomed in the No. 19 Princeton Tigers (0-2) to the islands for the first of two matches with a bevy of blistering serves, totaling 16 aces as a team in a four-set victory Wednesday night – (25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 25-17). Freshman opposite Kristian Titriyski led the Rainbow Warriors with a match-high 15 kills while tallying five service aces by himself while fellow freshman Adrien Roure racked up his fourth 10+ kill outing in five chances with 12 putdowns and a trio of aces in four sets of work. 

Six different UH players recorded a point from the service line without a return; senior Clay Wieter added three aces while Justin Todd and Finn Kearney each had a pair and sophomore Tread Rosenthal had the other ace for the Rainbow Warriors. Todd, who started in place of the injured Ofeck Hazan for the second straight match, tallied a career-high seven kills on nine swings to go alongside the two aces. 

Rosenthal, who had a brief scare after colliding with Clay Wieter in the first set that required him to get his nose plugged up before returning, dished out 38 assists and got hands on two total blocks while leading the Rainbow Warriors with five digs. The sophomore also snuck in four kills on five tries, committing only one hitting error to help Hawai’i stay unbeaten in its third-ever meeting with Princeton. 

The 16 aces were tied for the third-most in a single match by a Hawai’i team during the rally scoring era, matching the output from UH’s sweep against Tusculum last February. Wednesday night’s performance only trails the 17 aces racked up versus Queens (Feb. 4, 2022) and the record that the 2022 national championship team set one week later against Long Island University with 20 aces as a unit. 

“Overall, a step forward for us,” Hawai’i head coach Charlie Wade said postgame of the improvement from behind the service line. “We were both efficient and productive [from the service line], which is always good … [serving] is something we kind of hang our hats on – we have for a long time – so it was good to see that come from the practice gym to the match.” 

Princeton jumped on Hawai’i (5-0) early in the first set, taking a 7-3 lead as Rosenthal laid on the ground with a bloodied nose after his crash into Wieter. After returning to a nice ovation from the over 3,500 fans in attendance without missing a single rally, Rosenthal helped pilot the Rainbow Warriors to seven of the next eight points for a 10-8 lead while forcing the Tigers to signal for the first timeout of the night. 

After the two sides traded service errors, freshman Finn Kearney entered in a similar fashion to Friday night to steady the Rainbow Warriors and provided some much-needed breathing room with a pair of aces and an extended run serving. After Kearney put Hawai’i on the cusp of a first set win, Adrien Roure burst UH through the door with his first ace for the final point of a 25-20 decision. 

Hawai’i’s serving strength continued into the second set, helping the hosts hold a healthy 15-9 lead by the frame’s media timeout. Despite four straight points by Princeton after the break in the action, the Rainbow Warriors took Set 2 with their high-efficiency serve and attack, 25-18.  

UH looked like it would secure the team’s third sweep in four games as the hosts hurried to a 15-12 lead, but Princeton would not go quietly in the first of two meetings with Hawai’i this week. The visitors fought back with 13 of the next 18 points to take the third set, using an insane .867 hitting percentage and capitalizing on six attacking errors by UH to hold off a second consecutive straight set loss for the Tigers.  

“One thing I want to point out, they almost hit .900 in that third set … hats off to them,” Wade said of Princeton’s performance in the third stanza. “It’s impressive and I thought they were a really good team who played well throughout.” 

The Rainbow Warriors responded in the fourth set with one last blitz, jumping out to a 15-9 advantage behind continued success at the line and the varied swings on the attack from Titriyski and Wieter. The Hawai’i attack hit .500 overall in the frame, cruising to a dominant 25-17 decision for a fifth straight win to begin the 2025 season. 

Princeton was led by Nyherowo Omene’s 14 kills on 28 swings, seeing the senior commit five attack errors but get hands on three blocks and serve up a team-best three aces. Freshman Mason Rice followed closely behind with 12 kills on 19 chances while pacing the Tigers with four digs. 

Hawai’i will wrap up its season-opening six-game homestand on Friday, running it back against No. 19 Princeton before hitting the road to take on No. 5 BYU in the first big test of the 2025 season. First serve for Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. HT.

Perez season-high helps Hawai’i continue winning ways over Cal State Fullerton

Perez season-high helps Hawai’i continue winning ways over Cal State Fullerton

Jan 11, 2025

Hawai’i F Imani Perez elevates for a jumpshot during a home game for the Rainbow Wahine. The junior led UH with a season-high 14 points against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Perez season-high helps Hawai’i continue winning ways over Cal State Fullerton

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 11, 2025

HONOLULU – Slow start, slow finish, still won. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team shook off an awful offensive first quarter and held off a rally late to extend its win streak to three, taking down Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night, 54-44. The victory marked the 11th straight meeting between UH and CSUF that went in favor of the Rainbow Wahine, last falling to the Titans in February 2020. 

Imani Perez tallied a season-best 14 points while tracking down four rebounds and blocking a pair of shots to help Hawai’i overcome 20 turnovers and an icy 3-of-19 team shooting performance from behind the arc. Jovi Lefotu, continuing to ramp back up after missing three games with an injury, added eight points while handing out a career-high five assists off the bench. 

MeiLani McBee was the only other Rainbow Wahine player to finish in double figures, racking up 10 points and grabbing a team-high six rebounds while making at least two three-pointers for the third straight game. Hawai’i is 6-2 this season when McBee makes multiple threes and are 3-4 when she connects on one or less. 

Hawai’i (9-6, 3-2 Big West) struggled mightily out of the gate, turning the ball over five times while failing to connect on a shot of any kind over the opening five and a half minutes as they fell behind 4-0. Lily Wahinekapu finally got UH on the board with 4:36 left in the first quarter with a pair of free throws and Jovi Lefotu made the Rainbow Wahine’s first field goal with just over a minute remaining to tie the game, 4-4. Cal State Fullerton (2-14, 0-6 Big West) ended a three-minute scoring drought of their own on the other side to take a slim two-point lead into the second quarter. 

The next frame proved better for the hosting Rainbow Wahine, needing 93 seconds to out-produce the offense from the first 10 minutes as Perez, Wahinekapu and McBee all scored in succession – capped by a triple by McBee – to give Hawai’i an 11-6 lead in the blink of an eye. Mia ‘Uhila split a pair of free throws and got a layup to drop with the shot clock winding down before McBee drilled her second three-pointer of the night to make the UH advantage nine points with just under four minutes left in the opening half. 

Aaliyah Stanton and UH freshman Rebecca Moors traded triples before Stanton cashed in on a trip to the charity stripe to pull the Titans within seven with just over a minute before the break. Again, ‘Uhila beat the shot clock buzzer with a hit from inside the arc to send the Rainbow Wahine into the locker rooms leading by nine, 22-13. 

The momentum rolled through halftime and into the third quarter for Hawai’i, opening the second half on a 10-2 run on the back of six points from Perez as the lead grew to 17 by the six-minute mark of the frame. The Titans chipped into the Rainbow Wahine lead with back-to-back scores from Eva Levingston and Maddy Tauro after a timeout, holding UH without a point for over four minutes before allowing Moors and McBee layups ahead of the quarter buzzer sounding, heading into the fourth quarter with Hawai’i comfortably ahead, 36-19.  

Hawai’i scored the first four points of the final frame to go up by 21 before a 14-5 run by Cal State Fullerton made things interesting late. Madalyn Muniz drilled a pair of triples before Stanton’s three with 2:49 to play made it a 12-point game and prompted a timeout from the Rainbow Wahine. 

Quality foul shooting and press-break execution down the stretch secured the victory for Hawai’i despite Cal State Fullerton’s furious comeback try. The Titans’ 25 fourth quarter points outscored the previous three quarters combined for the visitors as they connected on 4-of-7 from downtown and got to the line 10 times, getting the deficit as close as nine in the final minute before falling for the sixth time in conference play. 

“We’re still trying to find footing just with the injuries and trying to figure out rotations, so not a very pretty game, particularly that fourth quarter,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said postgame. “Giving up 25 points is really not acceptable for our defense … with all of that said, we found a way to win which is nice.” 

Aaliyah Stanton finished with a game-high 18 points (13 in 4th Q) and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out for Cal State Fullerton. Eva Levingston added nine points and five rebounds, committing three turnovers in 38 minutes – the most minutes by a player on either team. 

Mia ‘Uhila and Lily Wahinekapu each scored seven points in the win for Hawai’i but struggled with ball control, accounting for eight of UH’s 20 turnovers. Brooklyn Rewers and Ritorya Tamilo each saw limited opportunities, combining for three points and four total field goal attempts as the guards struggled to get the ball to the post in time consistently. 

“I felt like we need to go inside a lot more than we did tonight, we’re struggling with that,” Beeman said of the lack of production from Hawai’i’s center position. 

Hawai’i freshman Rebecca Moors matched a season high with five points (1-2 3PT) while snatching a career-best five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. It was the fifth straight game that the guard from New Zealand played 15 or more minutes for the Rainbow Wahine as the talented first-year class continued to show growth for UH. 

“I think our freshmen have done a great job coming in with a veteran team and understanding that the expectation may not be to get on the floor but just to grow and get better. When your number is called, step up,” Beeman said of Moors’ growth. “She’s a long, long guard for us so she can defend, she can board, she runs the floor very, very well… I think the physicality and pace is still a challenge for her sometimes, but I think she’ll continue to grow.” 

After an 0-2 start to conference play, Hawai’i has moved into a tie for the fourth spot after three straight Big West wins. The Rainbow Wahine hit the road again next week to face off with CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield before returning to the islands for a massive two-game homestand against UC Davis and UC Irvine on January 23 and 25. 

Hawai’i secures road sweep behind big 2nd half from Nemeikša, Christensen

Hawai’i secures road sweep behind big 2nd half from Nemeikša, Christensen

Jan 11, 2025

Hawai’i C Tanner Christensen squares towards the basket during a home game for the Rainbow Warriors. The 6-foot-10 graduate student had 19 points in UH’s win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, 10 coming in the 2nd half. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i secures road sweep behind big 2nd half from Nemeikša, Christensen

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 11, 2025

Road warriors. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw four different players finish in double figures to down Cal State Fullerton (5-14, 0-6 Big West) on Saturday, 95-86, securing a road sweep to go above .500 in conference play for the first time this season. Gytis Nemeikša turned in his fourth 20-point game of the year while pulling down a team-best eight rebounds, scoring 16 of his 20 points after halftime to help UH win for the third straight outing. 

Tanner Christensen added 19 points – 10 following the midway break – and seven rebounds in the wire-to-wire win for the road squad, his fourth straight contest with at least 10 points and at least 5 boards and ninth overall this year. Tom Beattie matched a career high with 16 points in his second consecutive start while dishing out four assists in 32 minutes of work for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Hawai’i (11-5, 3-2 Big West) received a big boost from sophomore Akira Jacobs, who scored 14 points off the bench as he turned in back-to-back double-digit outings for the first time this year (Jacobs had a 12-point outing in Thursday’s win over UC Riverside). The 6-foot-10 forward drilled a pair of three-pointers, continuing his stretch of at least one make from beyond the arc in all five Big West games for UH this season. 

Donovan Oday tallied a career-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the loss for Cal State Fullerton, who remained winless in conference play. Zion Richardson and Kobe Young scored 15 and 14 respectively for the Titans, who racked up a season-best 86 points and still fell short at home. 

Hawai’i snatched the early advantage behind an aggressive Nemeikša before the Lithuanian picked up foul just over two minutes into the action, sending UH’s leading scorer to the bench for an early breather. Back-to-back hits from distance by Beattie and Ryan Rapp put the Rainbow Warriors up by five before the Titans tied things back up at 14 with 13:31 left in the opening half. 

Akira Jacobs scored his first points of the afternoon from the charity stripe a minute later, giving Hawai’i a two-point lead before draining the first of his two three-pointers after the under-12-minute media timeout, restoring UH’s five-point lead. Jacobs and freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor continued to show off good chemistry with each other as the young guard found Jacobs for his second triple a few possessions later, giving the Rainbow Warriors their largest lead of the first half, 26-17. 

Cal State Fullerton rallied back with 9 of the next 12 points to pull within a possession, trading baskets with Hawai’i over the final six minutes of the opening stanza until Marcus Greene’s finish over a couple defenders and an Aaron Hunkin-Claytor block to close the half gave UH a four-point lead as they went to the locker room. 

Hawai’i’s frontcourt provided another burst out of the break, seeing Nemeikša and Christensen score six of UH’s first eight points to start the second half as the lead grew to eight. Four straight points from Beattie helped Hawai’i counter another CSUF rally before a 7-2 run by Zion Richardson made it a one-point game with 14:32 left to play. 

A whistle frenzy led to both teams entering the bonus by the 11-minute mark, slowing down the pace on both ends. Hawai’i, who entered the day as one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the Big West, calmly cashed in from the charity stripe to hold off the Titans’ run until Tom Beattie could give the Rainbow Warriors breathing room with a nifty spin move and his second three of the day with 6:38 remaining. 

Hawai’i went 14-for-14 from the free throw line over the final six minutes, denying any chance for Cal State Fullerton to come back as the Rainbow Warriors missed only two of the 38 attempts from the line overall in the 95-86 victory. The 38 free throws are the second-most in a single game this season for UH, who went 26-for-40 in an overtime win against Weber State back in November. 

Aaron Hunkin-Claytor had another quality showing off the bench, scoring seven points for the second straight game to go along with two rebounds, an assist and the blocked shot to end the first half. Ryan Rapp recorded his first two blocks of the season in the win, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds to go with the pair of rejections. Marcus Greene chipped in four points while playing a season-low eight minutes off the pine.

Hawai’i returns home to host CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield next week, looking to continue the ascent up the conference ladder after an 0-2 start to Big West play. The Rainbow Warriors split the first Big West homestand in 2025, dropping a close decision against UC Santa Barbara before dispatching Cal Poly two nights later. 

Kearney service turn helps save Hawai’i in five-set Harvard thriller

Kearney service turn helps save Hawai’i in five-set Harvard thriller

Jan 10, 2025

Hawai’i OH/OPP Finn Kearney goes back to serve for the Rainbow Warriors. The freshman helped UH score the final four points in a 5th set comeback against Harvard on Friday. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Kearney service turn helps save Hawai’i in five-set Harvard thriller

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 10, 2025

HONOLULU – Upset attempt denied. 

The No. 4 University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team overcame 22 errors from the service line on Friday night to down unranked Harvard in five sets, (25-17, 25-27, 25-15, 21-25, 16-14). Kristian Titriyski led the Rainbow Warriors with a match-best 18 kills on 37 swings but committed 11 errors on an up-and-down night for the entire group. 

The hosts hit .395 as a group but committed 50 errors in total as some of the inexperience and unfamiliarity of the talented Hawai’i team showed through as UH beat the Crimson for the second time this week. Adrien Roure finished with double-digit kills for the third time in four outings, tallying 14 putdowns on 28 swings, but had 12 errors of his own. 

Fellow freshman Finn Kearney was one of the lone flawless Rainbow Warriors, appearing in all five sets and not committing a miscue of any kind. The left-handed outside hitter/opposite was especially efficient behind the service line, finishing the night as the only Hawai’i player with 10+ service attempts and zero errors (Kearney served 12 times without an error) while also sizzling in an ace.  

Harvard (0-2) used eight service aces to help push the match the full distance, seeing three in the second set help the Crimson capitalize on eight errors from UH to tie the match at a set apiece. The visitors out of the EIVA committed less errors than Hawai’i from the service line in all but the first set as they attempted an early season upset bid against one of the top teams in the country. 

Hawai’i (4-0) jumped out to an early four-point lead behind straight aces from Kristian Titriyski, sandwiched by a kill and a block from Kurt Nusterer, and forced a timeout from the Crimson. The stoppage did little to slow down Hawai’i, who grew the lead to six by the media timeout and eventually took the opening frame 25-17 behind an ace from redshirt freshman Justin Todd, who made his first career start as Ofeck Hazan missed the contest nursing a minor injury. 

Harvard committed eight service errors in the first set while Hawai’i twisted home three aces and only three errors from behind the line. The Rainbow Warriors hit a hot .421 as a team in the frame while the Crimson were held to hitting just .292, a continuation of Wednesday’s dominance for UH. 

The Rainbow Warriors took a slim 15-14 lead into the second set media timeout, seeing five errors from the service line weigh down any chance at early separation from the Crimson. The serve game continued plaguing the Rainbow Warriors while providing a boost for the visitors, who tied the second frame at 21 after a pair of aces from Logan Shepherd to force a timeout from Charlie Wade. 

The Crimson grabbed the upper hand late after a Louis Sakanoko swing caught too much net, using the advantage to eventually take the second stanza after three set point chances. Tying a game-high eight errors from the service line while having three errant swings in-system, Hawai’i miscues accounted for nearly half of the Crimson points in the second set. 

The hosts wasted little time taking control in the third frame, racing out to a 10-6 advantage behind the heavy swings of Titriyski and Roure. With Kearney and Todd getting back in on the freshmen fun, Hawai’i grew the lead to as many as seven before Harvard signaled for timeout down 20-13. 

The timeout did not stop the Hawai’i momentum as the Rainbow Warriors scored five of the next seven points to take the important swing set in commanding fashion, 25-15. UH hit an eye-popping .455 as a team, easily overcoming six service errors with 13 kills on 22 swings and three aces buoying the team to an important lead, two sets to one. Harvard struggled mightily in the frame, hitting .000 and committing six attacking errors. 

Again, Hawai’i proved to be its own worst enemy in the fourth set with six attacking errors and another two serving mistakes helping Harvard remain alive and force a fifth set. The Crimson made sure to take advantage of the free points, committing zero attacking errors themselves as they started to send an unsettling feeling throughout the Stan Sheriff Center with threats towards Hawai’i’s perfect record. 

Harvard built upon the fourth set momentum in the penultimate frame, taking an 8-7 lead with a double block as the teams swapped sides. Shepherd’s fifth ace of the contest followed, helping the Crimson go on a run to open a 12-9 lead before Titriyski solo blocked Miha Okorn and reignited the crowd and forced a timeout. 

After a timeout, Harvard took the next two points to push Hawai’i to the brink and force a timeout from Charlie Wade. After Justin Todd smashed a UH return of a Crimson serve, Wade reinserted Kearney to take the biggest service turn of the night with no room for error as Hawai’i trailed, 14-12. 

The freshman calmly delivered four straight perfect offerings, helping Hawai’i slingshot from down two to an “aloha ball” chance. After Kearney smacked over the final serve, Harvard’s return was quickly sent back into earth by Todd as Hawai’i delivered fans a heart-stopping win in five sets. 

Kearney finished with four kills on seven swings, not committing a hitting error in any of his five sets of work. Justin Todd added four kills of his own while tying a career high with five total blocks, including the match-winner, in his first career start. 

Tread Rosenthal filled the box sheet, dishing out 47 assists, getting a hand in on four blocks and tallying six kills on eight attempts while matching ‘Eleu Choy’s team-best seven digs in the win. Kurt Nusterer set a new career-high with nine kills and recorded a season-best six blocks as the redshirt junior continued easing back into form. 

Hawai’i returns to action next Wednesday, hosting No. 19 Princeton for a pair of matches to close out a six-game homestand to open the season. The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in EIVA this season and will open their 2025 slate on Saturday at No. 7 USC. 

Hawai’i sweeps pair against McKendree with straight set Sunday win

Hawai’i sweeps pair against McKendree with straight set Sunday win

Jan 5, 2025

Hawai’i OPP Kristian Titriyski during a home match against No. 20 McKendree. The freshman had 17 kills in the second meeting in three nights between the teams, leading UH to a sweep. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i sweeps pair against McKendree with straight set Sunday win

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 5, 2025

HONOLULU – Two for two. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team took the second of two weekend meetings with the McKendree Bearcats on Sunday, sweeping the 20th-ranked visitors in straight sets – (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) – behind freshman Kristian Titriyski’s 17 kills and two service aces to cap off a perfect opening weekend. 

Fellow freshman Adrien Roure finished off 13 kills of his own, giving him 30 total putdowns on the weekend as the Rainbow Warriors (2-0) remained perfect all-time against McKendree (0-2) in four total meetings with the Bearcats. Sophomore setter Tread Rosenthal added 40 assists, three kills and a team-best six digs in the sweep, piloting the offense to a .463 hitting percentage over the three frames. 

McKendree was led by D’Aaron McCraney’s eight kills on an efficient 11 swings, seeing the 6-foot-9 senior collect a team-high three blocks. Sophomore setter Nathan Flayter handed out 26 assists for the Bearcats, smacking two aces while giving the Rainbow Warriors some issues with a hybrid serving style. 

Hawai’i battled back multiple times throughout the opening set, erasing a four-point deficit midway through the frame to come back and take it, 25-20, behind a potent attack that hit a scorching .625 on 24 swings while only committing two hitting errors. Kristian Titriyski, who played sparingly on Friday night as he continued to recover from an illness that effected a multitude of Hawai’i’s men’s volleyball starters, hit .800 by himself on 10 swings and added one of three aces by UH in the stanza. 

The accumulation of aces continued into the second set, seeing Tread Rosenthal and Titriyski each add second aces while the Rainbow Warriors hit .478 on 23 swings to take a slim 15-14 advantage into the media timeout. Hawai’i’s attack continued on, seeing redshirt junior Kurt Nusterer deliver his third kill of the night for the set winner as the Rainbow Warriors continued to heat up. 

Hawai’i fired away to open the third set, scoring seven of the first nine points to force a McKendree timeout. The dominance continued into the media timeout, seeing the Rainbow Warriors lead 15-9 behind seven kills and only one hitting error on 12 swings. Senior Kawai Hong enjoyed a few fun, high-effort moments while recording a pair of digs to help UH cruise to a third frame win and the sweep, 25-16. 

Harvard will visit the islands later this week, facing off with Hawai’i on Wednesday at 7 p.m. HT for the first of two matches in three days. The Crimson received votes in the season-opening AVCA Coaches’ Poll and will be kicking off their season in the islands after not playing during the opening weekend.