‘Uhila’s career night leads Hawai’i comeback over UC Santa Barbara

‘Uhila’s career night leads Hawai’i comeback over UC Santa Barbara

Feb 9, 2025

Hawai’i G Mia ‘Uhila attacks the basket in transition against UC Santa Barbara. The senior had a career-high 23 points on Saturday to help the Rainbow Wahine erase a 19-point deficit to come back and win their 11th consecutive game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

‘Uhila’s career night leads Hawai’i comeback over UC Santa Barbara

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 9, 2025

HONOLULU – Sticks. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team erased a 19-point deficit to come back and extend the team’s winning streak to 11 on Saturday night, taking down UC Santa Barbara 65-58 to avenge the last loss that the Rainbow Wahine suffered. Senior guard Mia ‘Uhila led UH in points, rebounds and assists, erupting for a career-high 23 points (19 after halftime), seven boards and four dimes in the victory. 

“Just a gritty effort – again,” said head coach Laura Beeman of her team’s impressive comeback. “There was no panic. We just needed to clean some things up, needed to pick up our tempo and the only way you can pick up tempo is if you get stops and that’s what happened in the third quarter.” 

MeiLani McBee added 12 points and five rebounds for the Rainbow Wahine, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers while calmly cashing in on all six free throw attempts in 27 minutes of action. Lily Wahinekapu returned from her one-game absence to score 11 points, leaving the senior guard at 999 for her UH career. 

The night got off to a rocky start for Hawai’i, who hit 2-of-16 from the floor in the opening quarter as they watched UC Santa Barbara race out to a commanding 26-7 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Gauchos opened the game on fire, seeing three different players drill consecutive 3-pointers to start the action on route to a 10-of-17 shooting performance (5-of-8 3PT) in the first quarter. 

Hawai’i’s defense recovered quickly, holding UCSB down in the second quarter as the visitors saw their efficiency drop off a cliff with three total makes from the floor in the frame. After being held scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the opening half, UH guard Mia ‘Uhila scored four points in the final 50 seconds to help the Rainbow Wahine slice the deficit to 11 at the break. 

‘Uhila didn’t allow the stoppage to break her focus, springboarding the Rainbow Wahine to begin the third quarter as she powered a 15-2 run that put Hawai’i in front for the first time since the opening minute, 40-38. UC Santa Barbara slowed the momentum over the final six minutes of the quarter, playing Hawai’i even and heading into the final period trailing by a pair. 

“She’s really good,” Beeman said of ‘Uhila following the game. “Our system is not easy and Mia, every game, is getting more and more comfortable with the system … Today, she just played [comfortable]. I’m really proud of her and what she did this week.” 

Hawai’i G Mia ‘Uhila receives congratulations following a career outing as the Rainbow Wahine thanked fans after the game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The Rainbow Wahine scored 8 of 10 points to start the fourth quarter, taking a 56-48 advantage as the clock continued to drain away. A pair of free throws from UCSB’s Skylar Burke pulled the Gauchos back within five with 1:31 left to play, but that was the closest the visitors would get as Hawai’i cashed in from the foul line to close out a near-20-point comeback for the team’s 11th straight win, 65-58. 

Skylar Burke led the way for UC Santa Barbara, pouring in a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Zoe Borter added 11 points and six boards for the Gauchos while leading scorer Alyssa Marin was held to just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting against the suffocating Hawai’i defense. 

Hawai’i hits the road again next week, looking to avenge the only other conference loss the team has suffered so far this season as they visit Long Beach State on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. HT. 

“I’m very aware that Long Beach got us [at home],” Beeman floated. “I think [our players] are too.” 

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. 

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. 

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DI Girls Soccer State Championship

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DI Girls Soccer State Championship

Feb 4, 2025

 

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DI Girls Soccer State Championship

PHOTOS BY ANDREW LEE
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Game Stats via HHSAA

Punahou 1 – KS-Kapalama 0 (Final)

Punahou: Maya Yoshimura (11:00)

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DII Girls Soccer State Championship

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DII Girls Soccer State Championship

Feb 4, 2025

 

Photo Gallery: 2025 Motiv8 Foundation DII Girls Soccer State Championship

PHOTOS BY ANDREW LEE
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Game Stats via HHSAA

KS-Hawaii 2 – Mid-Pacific 1 (Final)

KS-Hawaii: Alyssa Hudman (72:00), Madisyn Meyers (75:00)
Mid Pacific: Eva Hand (48:00)

HPU Baseball opens 2025 season with pair of shootout wins over Drury

HPU Baseball opens 2025 season with pair of shootout wins over Drury

Feb 2, 2025

 

HPU Baseball opens 2025 season with pair of shootout wins over Drury

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2, 2025

The Hawai’i Pacific baseball team had no problem lighting up the scoreboard in the Sharks’ return to Hans L’Orange Field in Waipahu.

HPU started the 2025 season with a 2-0 record after defeating visiting Drury University twice in a double-header Saturday. The Sharks won the opening game, 12-6, before busting out the bats in a 19-9 win in the nightcap.

“Our boys came out ready to go,” said HPU coach Dane Fujinaka, who is entering his fourth season as the Sharks’ skipper. “Overall we competed on all three sides of it today.”

Senior Noah Blythe, a transfer from the University of Antelope Valley, was responsible for nearly a third of the total runs scored on Saturday with 10 RBIs on three doubles and two home runs.

As a designated hitter in the opening game, Blythe drove in the opening run in the bottom of the first on a double batting in the three-hole position. After Drury tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the second, Blythe delivered a two-run homer to regain the lead for HPU in the bottom of the third. The Panthers managed to tie the game at 5-5 in the fourth before Blythe gave the Sharks the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth with a double to score leadoff hitter Noah Hata.

In game two, Blythe hit a three-run bomb to highlight a six-run explosion that put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth.

“Every at bat it just felt like he was going to do something,” Fujinaka said of Blythe.

Fujinaka was quick to point out that multiple bats was hot as well — especially the newcomers.

Freshman Tyler Arnold hit the Sharks’ first homer of the season with a two-run blast to give HPU an early 3-0 lead in game one and also batted 3-for-6 with three runs scored in game two.

Arnold shifted from first base to third base in between games, which allowed for playing time for fellow freshman Ethan Murakoshi to play in game two. Murakoshi, who prepped at Mililani, scored three runs in game two and also delivered a two-run home run in the sixth to give HPU a 11-6 lead.

University of Hawai’i transfer Bronson Rivera also homered with a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the fourth in game two to give HPU the lead for good.

Andrew Nykoluk, a shortstop transfer from Saddleback Community College, scored four runs in game two while stealing two bases.

Grand Canyon University transfer Kan Taguchi took over designated hitter duties from Blythe in game two and went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Of the returnees, Skyler Agnew was solid in game one with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate while Hata scored four runs in the opening contest.

“We just had so many good at bats,” Fujinaka said. “You know, I think we can definitely swing it. I think the combination of the physicality that we have this year and also we can still run and we haven’t sacrificed any of our contact skills which we have been known for to good at the last three years. So I think when you add those three things together, it’s what you want.”

Jordan Otjen got the start in game one and went 3 and 1/3 innings before giving way to Shea Blanchard, who got the win by pitching 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts. Christian Padilla, Vicente Molina and Makana Quia each pitch an inning to close out game one with Quia delivering two strikeouts to earn the save.

In game two, Conor Hourigan struggled to find his slider early on before finding it down the stretch to pick up the win. Jacob Vanek pitched two innings after Hourigan before giving way to Enrique Espinoza and Ryan Inouye, who each pitch an inning apiece. Inouye, who is the Sharks’ all-time leader in saves, faced just three batters with one strikeout to end the game.

“I thought our bullpen was phenomenal,” Fujinaka said. “Our bullpen came in, they pounded the zone, they did their job. They limited big innings from happening.”

HPU will play another exhibition game against Drury on Monday before a three-game series against North Greenville University, the 2022 NCAA Division II champion, on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The Sharks travel to Westmont College to begin PacWest play the week after.

“Going into Monday, we certainly are looking at that game as a competitive baseball game,” said Fujinaka.

“I want to learn more about my team and what I have. A lot of guys that didn’t get to play today will get an opportunity on Monday to show us what they got and compete.

“But looking towards next week when North Greenville comes into town, I’m just excited for the opportunity to play a caliber team like them. You know, we talk about making a run in the NCAA tournament. Well, you know, there’s no better way to find out what you’re made of by facing a top five team in the country, so it’ll definitely get us prepared for conference play and really just find out what we’re made of and I’m excited for it.”