CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The fourth-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team completed its four-match road trip with a straight-set win over Queens (N.C.) in the night cap of a rare doubleheader Saturday at the Levine Center. Set scores were 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20.
The Rainbow Warriors (13-1) won all four matches on their trip to the state of North Carolina, including both on Saturday which included a four-set win over Catawba earlier in the day. Hawai’i returns to Honolulu for a crucial two-match series with No. 2 UC Irvine next week to open Big West play.
UH was led by Kristian Titriyski, who finished with a match-high 18 kills, hitting .343 with two aces and seven digs. The freshman tallied six kills each in the Sets 2 and 3, hitting over .500.
Frenchmen Louis Sakanako and Adrien Roure combined for 26 kills, 12 digs, and three aces. Sakanoko had 15 kills, hitting .520 with two aces while Roure added 11 kills, hitting at a .364 clip. Setter Tread Rosenthal ran an efficient offense that hit .426 as a team. The sophomore had 48 assists, nine digs, and three blocks.
Defensively, the Warriors totaled a season-high 41 digs, led by senior ‘Eleu Choy, who tallied a season-best 11 digs.
Dig ➡️ Kill pic.twitter.com/Re2laizi9Y
— Hawaii Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) February 22, 2025
Queens (9-7) was led by Chance Shampine, who finished with 16 kills. Matthew Pilch added 13 kills and eight digs and Carson Strawbridge had 12 kills.
The Warriors return to Honolulu to host UC Irvine, Friday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 2 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
SALISBURY, N.C. – Earlier in the day, the University of Hawai’i’s “B” squad needed four sets to defeat first-year program Catawba College in the opener of a Saturday doubleheader at Goodman Arena. Set scores were 25-19, 25-11, 25-27, 25-19.
The new look line-up featured setter Victor Lowe, outside hitter Finn Kearney, and opposite Kainoa Wade, who all made their first career starts, in addition to middle blockers Alex Parks and Justin Todd and outside hitter Clay Wieter. In fact, it was the first appearance as a Rainbow Warrior for Lowe, a true freshman from Santa Monica, Calif., who finished with 44 assists and two aces and led UH to a team hitting percentage of .345.
UH (12-1) will next drive to Charlotte to complete the doubleheader with a rematch against Queens, who they defeated in straight sets on Friday. The rare doubleheader is the first for Hawai’i since 2022.
The “B” squad made the most of their opportunity. Wade, a true freshman from Kailua, O’ahu and son of head coach Charlie Wade, led the team with 18 kills and just missed out on a double-double with nine digs. Kearney and Wieter each tallied 14 kills and eight digs and the duo combined to hit .418 with only five errors in 55 attempts. Wieter led the team with six blocks while Kearney added four.
Todd finished with six kills and five blocks and Parks added three kills and four blocks. As a team, the Warriors totaled 11.5 blocks and posted a season-high 39 digs.
RECAP: New Look Warriors Defeats Catawba in Doubleheader Opener; ‘Bows to Face Queens Later in the Day to Complete Road Trip#WarriorBall25 x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/E1F0C7hFU6
— Hawaii Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) February 22, 2025
Trevor Phillips led the Indians (6-8) with 19 kills, hitting .368. Catawba hit .204 as a team and recorded two aces and seven blocks.
Hawai’i will close out the trip against Queens at 6:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. HT) in Charlotte, N.C.
#HawaiiMVB
