An NCAA Tournament men's volleyball match hasn't been played at the Stan Sheriff Center since 2004, but if the University of Hawai‘i continues its winning ways, that could change in a matter of weeks.
The NCAA men's volleyball tournament has expanded by one team each year since having seven teams in 2023. In 2026, the NCAA is making a sizable jump to 12 teams after having nine teams in the field in 2025.
The new format in 2026 consists of the top four seeds hosting pods of three teams. After the two lower seeds in each region play each other, the winner will play the host team. Hosts and dates will be determined during the NCAA selection show on April 26.
Each regional winner will then meet at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion from May 9-11 for the national semifinals and finals.
In 2026, the University of Hawai‘i is currently 21-3 overall and off to a 4-0 start in Big West Conference play. The Rainbow Warriors are the No. 2 team in the country behind UCLA in both the AVCA national poll and RPI rankings.
Although the 'Bows would be in line to host a regional as it currently stands, head coach Charlie Wade doesn't want to assume anything quite yet.
"Pretty exciting," Wade says of the possibility of hosting a regional. "But I'm somewhat reserved on that, just from past experiences. Typically, the NCAA flying people out here has been a challenge for them to make that decision. So, we're just focused on winning as many games we can to put ourselves in a position that we're considered to be one of those teams."
The 'Bows are nearly halfway done with Big West Conference play, sweeping No. 8 UC Santa Barbara over the weekend, which was preceded by a convincing series sweep at Long Beach State the week before.
Another test awaits the Rainbow Warriors this week in a road series at UC Irvine on Friday and Saturday. The Anteaters are currently the No. 5 team in RPI as well as in the AVCA poll. After flying back home for a few days, the 'Bows will hit the road again for a two-match series at UC San Diego on April 10 and 11.
"We've been doing it for a while," Wade says of the back-and-forth travel between O‘ahu and California. "They're pretty used to it. I feel pretty confident that we'll be ready to play."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
