The University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball team returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 after a one-year absence in 2024. Prior to that, the Rainbow Warriors appeared in four straight national championship matches, winning in 2021 and 2022.
On Saturday, the 'Bows took the floor against UCLA, the two-time defending national champion and the same program that ended their hopes of a three-peat in 2023.
UCLA squashed UH's efforts to reclaim the men's collegiate volleyball throne on Saturday, sweeping the Rainbow Warriors 25-14, 25-23, 25-23 at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
"Congrats to UCLA. They played really well tonight, and congrats to them advancing to the national final," Hawai‘i head coach Charlie Wade said following the match. "Really proud of our guys and the amount of growth and development they had this year and for us to battle through a lot of different stuff this year throughout the year and get into the national semifinal. Couldn't be prouder and more excited for the future of the program and this team."
Hawai‘i's season came to an end with a mark of 27-6, while UCLA (22-6) advanced to face Long Beach State in the national title match.
Adrien Roure had a team-high 12 kills for the Rainbow Warriors, who hit .188 as a team. It was the first time all season that the 'Bows were held to a hitting percentage under .200.
For UCLA, Sean Kelly had a match-high 13 kills while three-time All-American setter Andrew Rowan had a match-high 34 assists.
Of the 11 players who saw the floor for the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, only three have announced plans to depart in seniors ‘Eleu Choy and Clay Weiter, as well as redshirt junior middle blocker Kurt Nusterer, who is beginning his career in finance following the season.
"It's really weird," Roure, a freshman, said of his emotions on Saturday. "One part, I'm really proud of our team and of course there's a part where I know we had the potential to win this game. It's hard but it's positive."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
