The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team will play against UC Irvine for the national title in the NCAA Championship on May 11 at Pauley Pavilion. The Rainbow Warriors, holding a record of 29-5, advanced after defeating Long Beach State 3-1 in the semifinals.
This match marks an important opportunity for Hawai’i as they seek their third national championship in program history. The team has reached the finals five times in the last seven years and holds two previous titles from 2021 and 2022.
According to information released by the university, this is Hawai’i’s eleventh all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with eight appearances occurring since 2015. Head coach Charlie Wade has led UH to eight NCAA appearances during his tenure and holds an 11-5 tournament record since taking over in 2010. “Head coach Charlie Wade has led UH to eight NCAA appearances in 17 seasons—all since 2015—with a 11-5 record in the tournament,” according to university records.
The series between Hawai’i and UC Irvine stands at UH leading overall with a record of 55-24. In postseason play, Hawai’i also leads with four wins out of seven meetings against UC Irvine but this will be their first encounter against each other specifically within the NCAA Tournament context.
Hawai’i’s past performance at Pauley Pavilion includes reaching the finals on all three occasions they’ve played there previously, including capturing their second title at this venue in 2022. Four different players from UH have earned Most Outstanding Player honors at previous tournaments: Yuval Katz (1996), Costas Theocharidis (2002), Rado Parapunov (2021), and Spyros Chakas (2022).
The winner of Monday’s final will secure another chapter for their respective programs as both teams look to add another national championship trophy.
