The University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team beat longtime rival Long Beach State in four sets on Saturday night, sending the Rainbow Warriors into Monday night’s NCAA national championship match against Big West rival UC Irvine.
Kainoa Wade said the group was built for this moment. “Obviously, there’s no taking the foot off the pedal here,” he said, adding that the championship is something everyone on the team has dreamed about since they were children. Finn Kearney said this year’s squad is different from last year’s group and believes Hawaii is ready after growing through the season.
UH now turns to a matchup that carries more than a trophy. The national title game is a Big West clash, and Kearney said UC Irvine is playing better now than it was when the teams met in March. He pointed to the addition of Brink as a move that has rounded out the Anteaters’ lineup. “They are playing a lot better,” he said, adding that Hawaii’s own progress has matched the stakes of the moment.
There was also a scare in the semifinal when Trent Rosenthal fell on a play and injured his leg. Charlie Wade said Rosenthal kept playing through the pain, and afterward said he was moving around pretty well and should be ready to go. “Tough guy and a serious competitor,” Wade said of Rosenthal.
The crowd around Hawaii volleyball followed the team across the country. About 3,000 people were outside Pauley Pavilion cheering on the ‘Bows on Saturday, and UH was expected to draw a large following again for Monday night’s final. Fans traveled from Hawaii and from elsewhere on the continental U.S. to be there, including Jamie and Wendy Hobean, who attended after their years at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Their 16-year-old son follows the program closely, Wendy Hobean said, while Kealii Torco said, “This team deserves it.”
Torco said the connection between the team and its supporters has turned road matches into something that feels closer to home. “They’re great with us,” he said. “We love them as family, and it’s an enormous sense of pride. We’re representing not only a school but a state and our people.” Wade said he felt that same pull Saturday night, saying the fans travel with the team and that the experience deepened what it means to wear Hawaii across his chest.
Now the Rainbow Warriors head into Monday night with a chance to finish a run that has already carried them past a longtime rival and into one more meeting with a familiar foe. For Hawaii, the semifinal was the gateway. The championship is the test.
