LOS ANGELES >> Friday\u2019s mid-day practice was the first time inside Pauley Pavilion for nearly the entire Hawaii men\u2019s volleyball team.<\/p>\n
The site of today\u2019s NCAA Tournament semifinals had the Rainbow Warriors program bouncing balls off the Teraflex floor for the first time since UH swept Long Beach State to win the second of back-to-back national championships in 2022.<\/p>\n
Four years later, Hawaii returns with a roster of no holdovers from that team. After missing the tournament outright two seasons ago, UH made it to this point last year before it was swept by UCLA in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Five of the seven starters from last year\u2019s loss will be back on the floor tonight, along with Kristian Titriyski, who missed last season\u2019s tournament with an injury.<\/p>\n
The circumstances surrounding the \u2019Bows this season entering the men\u2019s volleyball version of the Final Four are much, much different.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, we were so young with so many new guys on the roster that I really felt getting into the Final Four and getting into the NCAA Championship was really important,\u201d Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said during Friday\u2019s press conference. \u201cHere we are again with a lot of the same guys and there\u2019s no question that the familiarity with it and just kind of understanding what it takes to navigate this week, there\u2019s a benefit from being here before, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Just getting here isn\u2019t the goal for any player on this team. Hawaii (28-5), the No. 2 seed, has a real opportunity to win a third national championship this decade.<\/p>\n
The \u2019Bows are 4-1 against two of the three teams still playing. UH has won both matches against UC Irvine (20-8), which plays No. 4 seed Ball State (26-4) in the first semifinal at 12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Hawaii, which did not play Ball State this season, then plays No. 3 seed Long Beach State (25-4) in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
UH beat the Beach twice in the regular season before losing in the Big West tournament final two weeks ago in five sets. UH had a 2-1 lead in the match and had five match points in the fourth set before letting LBSU steal the match.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just say it\u2019s personal,\u201d junior libero Quintin Greenidge said.<\/p>\n
Greenidge and sophomore middle blocker Trevell Jordan are UH\u2019s two newcomers who have entered the starting lineup this season and rounded out one of the best starting groups in the country.<\/p>\n
Greenidge earned honorable mention All-America honors after leading the Big West in digs, averaging more than two per set.<\/p>\n
Jordan ranks in the top 10 in blocking in the conference and also averages 1.36 kills per set while hitting near .500.<\/p>\n
They were UH\u2019s two featured player speakers at Friday\u2019s press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons I picked them to come up here today was to kind of get the full experience,\u201d Wade said. \u201cCouldn\u2019t be more thrilled not just because they are great volleyball players but they are great young men that have represented themselves and the program well all year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenidge said he woke up and walked the UCLA campus for a bit before UH\u2019s 1:50 p.m. scheduled practice.<\/p>\n
Jordan played against UCLA twice as a freshman at Grand Canyon, but both matches were in Arizona.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time here and it was unreal, as in like you always see it in videos and now being here in person is crazy,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cAnd then being in the Final Four is even more amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rivalry between Hawaii and Long Beach State has included many memorable matches on big stages.<\/p>\n
This is the third meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament. The first came when the Beach beat Hawaii in the national final in 2019 after UH had defeated Long Beach State in the final of the Big West tournament.<\/p>\n
Hawaii won the national championship three years later with a sweep of the Beach in the final.<\/p>\n
The teams have played 11 times in postseason play and the past eight have been in a final in either a conference championship or national championship.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s winner moves on to play in the national final on Monday at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get to Final Fours, a big thing for everybody, not just us, is settling into the moment as soon as possible, leaning on our training, leaning on our maturity and continuing to come out with the hunger to punch and still go for it and compete and be us,\u201d Long Beach State coach Nick MacRae said. \u201cBoth sides will be doing that and it will be a very exciting match.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawaii is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015, trailing only Long Beach State\u2019s nine.<\/p>\n
The two schools have combined to win five of the past seven national championships.<\/p>\n
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