HONOLULU – The top-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team begins its final homestand of the season with a two-match series against Big West leader UC Irvine, Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors (22-2, 5-1 BWC) trail the Anteaters (16-6, 6-0) by one match in the standings entering the final two weekends of the regular season. UH has won the last 11 in the series.
| MATCHES #25-26 | ||||
| Who | #1 Hawai’i (22-2, 5-1 BWC) vs. #5 UC Irvine (16-6, 6-0 BWC) | |||
| Date | Time | Friday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. HT and Saturday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. HT | |||
| Location | Honolulu, O’ahu — SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center | |||
| Television | Spectrum Sports. Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (analyst). | |||
| Live Stream | ESPN+ (blacked out in Hawai’i). | |||
| Radio | ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play). | |||
| Streaming Audio | ESPNHonolulu.com; Sideline Hawaii app. | |||
| Live Stats | HawaiiAthletics.com | |||
| Game Notes | Hawai’i | UC Irvine | Big West | |||
| Digital Program | Click here | |||
| Social Media | @HawaiiMensVB  | #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall23 | @HawaiiMVB  | Facebook  |
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FIRST SERVE
- Hawai’i (22-2, 5-1 BWC) concluded a four-match road swing with a pair of straight-set wins over UC Santa Barbara, both of which featured 29-27 third set wins. UC Irvine (16-6, 6-0) remained atop the Big West standings with a pair of straight-set wins over CSUN.
- UH remained No. 1 in this week’s NVA/AVCA Top 15 poll while UC Irvine is No. 5.
- UH boasts a current five-match win streak — all in straight sets — while UCI has a six-match win streak.
- UH leads the series with UCI, 45-22. The Warriors have won the last 11 meetings since 2018 and 15 of 16 since the start of the 2016 season.
- From 2011-15, the Anteaters had won 10 of 11 in the series.
- Setter Jakob Thelle needs six aces to become the program’s all-time leader. Currently he is fourth with 116. The co-leaders are Costas Theocharidis and Pedro Azenha with 121.
- UH is 13-2 at home this season while UCI is 6-3 on the road.
- UH is 19-3 all-time in Big West home matches, including a 3-1 mark against the Anteaters.
- The Warriors’ 15-set conference win streak is the longest since 2019 (21), when they won seven consecutive straight-set matches.
- Seventeen of UH’s 22 wins this season have come in straight sets.
- UH has averaged 6,217 through 15 home matches this season, its highest season average attendance since 1999 (6,225). Hawai’i has drawn over 7,000 four times this season.
- UH is 10-2 versus nationally ranked teams this season including a 2-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 5 (1-0 vs. #2 UCLA, 0-1 vs. #3 Penn State, and 1-1 vs. #4 Long Beach State).
- In six Big West matches this season, OH Chaz Galloway is averaging 3.33 kills per set, hitting .417. He has reached double figures in kills four times. On the year, he’s averaging 2.41 kills per set, hitting .274
- UH is 21-1 when winning the first set this season and 70-3 over the last 3+ seasons.
PROMOTIONS
Saturday: Magnum P.I. Night, presented by Hawai’i Pacific Health- Members of the cast and crew from the hit show will be joining the atmosphere, and the legendary red Ferrari will be on display with the Magnum P.I. van in front of Gate A for fans to take pictures with and enjoy. The first 5,000 fans will receive a set of six trading cards featuring cast members from Magnum P.I., while 300 fans will receive an HPH bag. During intermission, there will be a Thomas Magnum look-alike contest with prizes, including a massage certificate, an HPH bag, a branded cooling towel, and Magnum P.I. tiki mugs.
#HawaiiMVB
