HONOLULU — Down its best offensive threat and facing the top-ranked team in the nation, the No. 4 Hawaii men’s volleyball team required an exceptional match to get past Long Beach State on Friday night.
The Rainbow Warriors came out sluggish without injured opposite Kristian Titriyski, staged a rally but could not sustain it in a 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21 loss to the No. 1 Beach in front of a season-high crowd of 9,962 at the sold-out Stan Sheriff Center.
UH (22-4, 5-2 Big West) fell a game behind LBSU (24-1, 6-1) entering Saturday’s senior night rematch.
Saturday night is also sold out, marking the first consecutive in program history since the Yuval Katz mania of 1996.
[Note: See below for more photos of Hawaii-Long Beach State men's volleyball.]
"I'm disappointed that we couldn't get a win for them, but we gave them a little something, little excitement there in the third and fourth, and hopefully we can get a win for them and for our seniors tomorrow night," coach Charlie Wade said.
Wade lamented his group performed well below its season serving percentage, while LBSU outperformed its.
"Serve the ball in bounds," Wade said of what needed to change in the rematch. "We served like donkeys in the first two sets. We make six errors in each of the first two sets, and they're too good a team to give them any free points to."
LBSU freshman setter Moni Nikolov, Titriyski's Bulgarian countryman, showed why he is a strong candidate for national player of the year. The 6-foot-8 star was a multi-purpose threat all night with 38 assists, seven digs, five blocks and three kills. Like UH's Tread Rosenthal and former star setter Jakob Thelle, who is in town and sat on the UH bench, Nikolov had to be respected to take a swing on any second touch.
Rosenthal said he tried not to make too much of the matchup of dynamic distributors.
"It's fun to see him play, just because he is one of the best setters in college and honestly, in the world, I think, right now," Rosenthal said. "So that's pretty cool to play against him as a setter and just compete with him, but terms of mindset going into the same as every game, just get my guys going and play my game."
The Beach hit. 365 to UH’s .294.
Freshman Finn Kearney, a U.S. junior national team member who has been a reserve outside hitter since his arrival to Manoa, got the start at opposite in Titriyski’s stead and put down a season-high 17 kills, albeit on .237 hitting. Titriyski appeared on the UH bench with his right foot in a boot after he turned his ankle in a UH win at Cal State Northridge last weekend.
Wade said he also considered his son, Kainoa Wade, for the starting opposite role in a competitive week of practice, but went with Kearney in part due to his extensive experience playing with Rosenthal on the junior national team.
"Tread and Finn certainly have more kind of high-leverage competitive experience together, and in a short week like that ... it's like, let's give Finn a shot. I thought he did really well."
Said Rosenthal of Kearney, "Ice in his vans. I don't know he came in more confident than I think anyone would be in that position. So shout out to him for just coming in and playing volleyball like he has been all his life."
Kearney said the presence of Rosenthal helped put him at ease as he reverted to his natural position; the capacity crowd was an asset and not a liability for him.
"Honestly, as an (outside hitter), lots of muscle memory, a lot of the same stuff," Kearney said. "We used to run same system with that ball, but felt a little different at first, especially earlier in the week, just getting used to kind of playing that full time, you know, different defensive stuff, lots of changes. But it was definitely easier than I thought it would be."
Led by libero ‘Eleu Choy, UH did a respectable job controlling Nikolov’s heater serves but lapsed against other Beach players as LBSU won the aces battle 6-3, and blocks 10-5. It was the first time this season that Nikolov, who averages better than an ace per set, did not get one in a match.
Rosenthal called Choy a "dog" for eating up Nikolov's diving heaters, which elicited more than one shake of the head from the young Beach star.
UH was just not consistent about it for the full lineup.
"They got some really volatile servers, guys that can score and we give up the couple-point run off the lolly-float serve," Wade said. "That hurt, you know, we've got to be better in that moment late."
LBSU jumped out quickly in both of the first two sets, hitting .464 and .522. UH did not lead until it scored the first point of the third.
Freshman middle Ofeck Hazan energized the ‘Bows upon his entry to the match coming out of the 10-minute intermission with three kills and a block.
"He's a really good volleyball player and great energy," Wade said of Hazan. "And he does a lot of simple things you don't see all the time, but he came in, scored a few, had some nice touches, and his serve's pretty reliable."
UH controlled the third and led 15-12 in the fourth before the Beach rallied back, tying it at 16.
The ‘Bows still led 20-18 but Kainoa Wade hit an errant serve and Alex Kandev put down consecutive points for LBSU.
Three of LBSU’s last four points came on UH attack errors by Louis Sakanoko and Kearney twice; Kearney was roofed by Kandev and DiAeris McRaven on match point. UH hit only .115 in the fourth.
McRaven, a Moanalua High alumnus, had three kicks and was in on four blocks.
Beach coach Alan Knipe credited Hawaii for coming out inspired from the 10-minute break going into the third set, when his team started rushing in transition.
"I thought once we kind of calmed down and got a significantly better first contact, and we got a way better second contact, and then we had lots of options," Knipe said.
Huge crowds are nothing new to UH-LBSU men's volleyball matchups, but for Knipe the setting doesn't get old.
"This is why I coach volleyball, to be in situations like this," he said. "I mean, you no one dreams of playing in empty gyms that are the high school side gym. You dream of playing in the Pyramid and sold out, or playing in Stan Sheriff when it's packed."
Adrien Roure had 12 kills and six digs and Sakanoko 11 for UH. Setter Rosenthal supplied 40 assists, a season-high 13 digs and four kills without an error (.667).
LBSU was without one of its top players in All-America hitter Sotiris Siapanis. Daniil Hershtynovich led LBSU with 17 kills and Kandev added 15.
Wade said Titriyski remains day to day heading into Saturday's contest.
Besides Thelle, former UH hitter Chaz Galloway and Olympic bronze medalist Taylor Averill were in house Friday.
Note: This story has been updated with details, quotes and photos.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
