{"id":309492,"date":"2026-05-10T22:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/309492\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T22:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:34:10","slug":"mens-volleyball-to-play-for-national-title-vs-uc-irvine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/309492\/","title":{"rendered":"Men’s Volleyball To Play For National Title vs. UC Irvine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\n Story Links
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n VIDEO: Prematch Press Conference<\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team will seek its third national title in program history when it meets Big West rival UC Irvine in the NCAA Championship, Monday, May 11 at Pauley Pavilion. The Rainbow Warriors (29-5) advanced to the championship match after a 3-1 win over Long Beach State in Saturday’s semifinals.<\/p>\n

All UH fans attending are encouraged to WEAR GREEN!<\/p>\n


\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tMATCH\u00a0#35
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tWhat
\n\t\t\tNational Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tWho
\n\t\t\t#2-seed Hawai’i (29-5) vs. UC Irvine (21-8)
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tDate | Time
\n\t\t\tMonday, May 11 | 4:00 p.m. PT
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tLocation
\n\t\t\tLos Angeles, Calif. – Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTelevision
\n\t\t\tESPN2. Anne Marie Anderson (play-by-play) and Kevin Barnett (analyst)
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tLive Stream
\n\t\t\tESPN.com\/watch
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRadio
\n\t\t\tESPN Honolulu (1500AM\/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tStreaming Audio
\n\t\t\tESPNHonolulu.com; ESPN Honolulu app
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tLive Stats
\n\t\t\tNCAA.com
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tGame Notes
\n\t\t\tHawai’i<\/a>\u00a0| UC Irvine
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tDigital Program
\n\t\t\tClick Here<\/a>
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tSocial Media
\n\t\t\t@HawaiiMensVB<\/a>\u00a0\"Twitter\"\u00a0| #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall26\u00a0|\u00a0@HawaiiMVB<\/a>\u00a0\"Instagram\" |\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\"Facebook\"
\n\t\t
\n\t <\/p>\n

\nNCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE<\/p>\n

Regional Round | Friday, May 1
\nPepperdine def. Fort Valley State, 3-0
\nUC Irvine def. Penn State, 3-2
\nLoyola Chicago def. Saint Francis, 3-0
\nSouthern California def. Belmont Abbey, 3-0
\n\u00a0
\nRegional Finals | Saturday, May 2
\nNo. 4 Ball State def. Pepperdine, 3-2
\nUC Irvine def. No. 1 UCLA, 3-2
\nNo. 3 Long Beach State def. Loyola Chicago, 3-0
\nNo. 2 Hawai’i def. Southern California, 3-1
\n\u00a0
\nSemifinals | Saturday, May 9 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
\nUC Irvine def. No. 4 Ball State, 3-1
\nNo. 2 Hawai’i def. No. 3 Long Beach State, 3-1
\n\u00a0
\nFinal | Monday, May 11 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
\nNo. 2 Hawai’i vs. UC Irvine<\/p>\n

SERIES INFORMATION
\n \n<\/p>\n

Overall: UH leads 55-24
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In Honolulu: UH leads 29-10
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In Irvine: UH leads 25-14
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Neutral: UH leads 1-0
\nPostseason: UH leads 4-3
\nLast Meeting: 4\/4\/26, UH 3-0
\nStreak: UH, 5<\/p>\n

FIRST SERVE
\n \n<\/p>\n


\n\tUH has advanced to the NCAA finals seven times in program history 1996, 2002, ’19, ’21, ’22, ’23, and ’26 (2022 title was vacated).
\n\tUH has two national championships (2021 & ’22) and three runner-up finishes (1996, 2019, 2023).
\n\tUH has reached the finals for the fifth time in the last seven years. Hawai’i made four straight finals appearances from 2019-23.
\n\tUH and UC Irvine have met seven times in postseason play but none previously in the NCAA Tournament. Hawai’i holds a 4-3 advantage in postseason play.
\n\tUH has a 14-8 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
\n\tUH is making its third all-time appearance at Pauley Pavilion for the NCAA Tournament, having reached the finals all three times. Previously, Hawai’i lost in the 1996 finals to UCLA and captured the 2022 title with a win over Long Beach State.
\n\tUH’s 29 wins this season is tied for the most in a single-season in program history with the 2023 squad.
\n\tHead coach Charlie Wade<\/a> has led UH to eight NCAA appearances in 17 seasons\u2014all since 2015\u2014with a 11-5 record in the tournament.
\n\tUH leads the all-time series against UC Irvine 55-24.
\n\tUH won 21 of the last 23 matches in the series, including 15 consecutive wins from 2018-23. After dropping two of three in 2024, Hawai’i has since won five straight over the last two seasons.
\n\tUH won both regular season matchups this season in Irvine, winning the opener in five sets and the rematch in straight sets.
\n\tWade has a 29-14 record against UCI since taking over the program in 2010. <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nUH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP<\/p>\n


\n\tUH is making its 11th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, eight of which have occurred in the last 11 seasons (2015, ’17, ’19, ’21, ’22, ’23, ’25, and ’26).
\n\tUH has a 14-8 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-3 record in the finals. (2002 title was vacated)
\n\tUH captured the program’s first national title in 2021 in Columbus, Ohio with a straight-set win over BYU and repeated in 2022 in Los Angeles, Calif., with a straight-set win over Long Beach State.
\n\tHead coach Charlie Wade<\/a>, who took over the program in 2010, led UH the national championship match in four straight seasons (2019, ’21, ’22. and ’23), becoming the first school to do so since UCLA (1993-96), which made six straight appearances.
\n\tFour different Warriors have been named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament \u2014 Yuval Katz (1996), Costas Theocharidis (2002), Rado Parapunov (2021), and Spyros Chakas (2022).
\n\tUH has advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals 10 times in its history and to the finals match six times \u2014 1996, 2002, ’19, ’21, ’22, and ’23.
\n\tUH made its first appearance in the NCAA Championship in 1995, travelling to Springfield, Mass., where they fell in a tight five-set semifinal battle against Penn State. <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

#HawaiiMVB

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n