In a slate of matches that will cater to its fans of all age groups, the No. 3 University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball team is set to play a rare pair of weekday doubleheaders at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Warriors will play at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on both Wednesday and Friday, starting with Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday at 11 a.m. The 'Bows will then play Rockhurst at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 11 a.m. on Friday, before wrapping up its week on Friday at 7 p.m. against Roberts Wesleyan.
Hawai‘i's 11 a.m. matches on Wednesday and Friday will provide increased opportunities for the Island's youth to watch the Rainbow Warriors. Wednesday's 11 a.m. match is being promoted as "Education Day," akin to when the UH women's basketball team had a crowd full of elementary schoolers for a weekday afternoon game in November.
UH will host thousands of youth volleyball players for Friday's 11 a.m. match, dubbed "Club Takeover Day." Over 250 youth volleyball teams are in town competing in the TransPacific Volleyball Championships, a club volleyball tournament featuring boys and girls teams ranging in age from 12 to 18. Team locales range from Hawai‘i to Canada, as well as a variety of teams from the West Coast and Texas.
"I'm not sure quite what to expect, but I think anybody that come will have a good time," Hawai‘i head coach Charlie Wade said.
The 'Bows will also play in their regularly scheduled 7 p.m. matches on Wednesday and Friday. UH is anticipating high activity on campus both days, as the early matches will occur during the school day.
To Wade, the unique setup this week gives every member of his squad ample opportunities to see the floor.
"We count matches, not the number of contests. So, an opportunity for us to put two more contests on the schedule and get some guys that don't play all that much or get them some run, we'll run them out there to start and see how it goes," Wade said. "Just looking for the opportunity to get a lot of playing time here early in the year for a lot of guys."
While Wade says some players have already requested to play all four matches, he's eager to see how some respond to the early start times.
"I think that's part of the challenge," Wade said. "We'll see what do guys look like when they got to come out here at 9 o'clock and start warming up for an 11 o'clock game. Looking forward to seeing how we handle that challenge."
Though the on-campus doubleheader is a rarity at UH, the concept of playing two matches in a day is not new to Wade and the Rainbow Warriors, who have done so multiple times on the road in recent years. On Feb. 22, 2025, the 'Bows defeated Catawba College in four sets in Salisbury, N.C., before defeating Queen's in Charlotte later that day.
In 2026, the Rainbow Warriors are 3-1, dropping a spot in the AVCA rankings after its series split against No. 6 Loyola-Chicago over the weekend.
While Loyola-Chicago came to town as a Top 10 opponent, Rockhurst and Roberts Wesleyan are both new programs establishing themselves. Roberts Wesleyan had its first season as a program in 2024, while Rockhurst debuted in 2025.
"It's men's volleyball," Wade said. "It's always competitive, right? They're going to have guys that can jump and hit and score. It should be a good show."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
