The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team secured a four-set victory over Pepperdine on Friday at Bankoh Arena, splitting their two-match non-conference series. The match ended with set scores of 25-22, 21-25, 25-15, and a marathon fourth set at 36-34.
The Rainbow Warriors improved to a 15-2 record after winning the extended fourth set. Both teams had multiple opportunities to close out the set; Pepperdine had five chances to force a fifth set while Hawai’i had eight serves for the win. The match concluded when setter Tread Rosenthal delivered the final kill on Hawai’i’s eighth attempt.
Rosenthal contributed significantly with 56 assists, six kills, four aces, nine digs, and three blocks. Two of his aces came during a crucial nine-point serving run in the fourth set that helped turn an early deficit into a five-point lead for Hawai’i. The team’s offense posted a .390 hitting percentage and achieved a season-high 73 kills.
Kainoa Wade matched his performance from Wednesday’s loss with 19 kills in 40 attempts, alongside nine digs and three blocks. Trevell Jordan notched a career-high 15 kills with an impressive .600 hitting percentage and added five blocks. Adrien Roure also tallied 15 kills and seven digs while Louis Sakanoko contributed 12 kills, six digs, and four blocks.
Defensively, libero Quintin Greenidge led the back row with a season-high 15 digs as Hawai’i limited Pepperdine to only five service aces.
Pepperdine (11-4) was paced by Cole Hartke’s match-high of 20 kills.
The decisive fourth set saw numerous shifts in momentum. After Rosenthal’s serving gave UH a five-point advantage at 15-10, the Warriors held their lead until Roure’s kill offered them their first match point at 24-22. Pepperdine managed to fend off those opportunities before creating their own set points during a late rally.
Hawai’i survived multiple set points against them before ultimately converting on their eighth opportunity following two consecutive kills by Rosenthal—one coming after an overturned call due to his net violation.
The teams had split the opening sets before Hawai’i dominated Set Three with efficient offense (.632 hitting) while holding Pepperdine to negative hitting numbers (-.091).
Looking ahead, Hawai’i will host the 30th OUTRIGGER Invitational from March 12–14 at Bankoh Arena. The event includes top-ranked UCLA, No.16 Lewis, and Mount Olive. Matches are scheduled for daily starts at both 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
