The No. 2 University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball team exacted revenge on its rival, defeating No. 3 Long Beach State 25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22 on Saturday in the NCAA national semifinals at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.
The Rainbow Warriors improved to 29-5 overall, while Long Beach State's 2026 season ends at 25-5. Hawai‘i advances to the national championship match, where it will face UC Irvine. In the first national semifinal, the Anteaters defeated No. 4 Ball State in four sets.
Hawai‘i's victory over Long Beach State on Saturday was its third win over The Beach in 2026. After a road sweep in late March, the 'Bows fell to LBSU in five sets in the Big West Conference championship match on April 25, failing to convert on five match point opportunities in the fourth set.
After running away with the first set, the UH had little trouble closing out the third and fourth sets, advancing to its first national championship match since 2023.
"We're always playing in these really meaningful matches, whether it's in the league championship or the national championship tournament, and even our league games are always two top-ranked teams and high drama, really important matches," Wade said of the rivalry between UH and LBSU after Saturday's match. "Hats off to them, and thrilled to advance to the final."
In the previous matchup between Hawai‘i and Long Beach State in the Big West championship match, Long Beach opposite Wojciech Gajek flashed a pair of upside down shakas to UH's fan section when a kill gave The Beach a definitive 10-4 lead in the fifth set, much to the chagrin of the Rainbow Warriors and their supporters across the state.
On Saturday, after UH opposite Kristian Titriyski hammered the match-sealing kill, the Rainbow Warriors stormed the court, then seemingly every player held a pair of double shakas directed to Long Beach State, as well as the Hawai‘i fan section that made its way to Los Angeles.
"The shaka at the end, I think everyone took it a little personally. So, that's a little way to send it back," said UH All-American outside hitter Louis Sakanoko, who finished with 12 kills.
As the Rainbow Warriors turn their attention to the Anteaters, the 'Bows will play a team they're 2-0 against in 2026 and a program they've won five straight matches against overall. UC Irvine is 4-0 in national championship matches, winning it all in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013. Monday's match will be the first time the two teams have met in the national title match.
First serve for Monday's national championship match is set for 1 p.m. HST. The match will be televised live on ESPN2, as well as on ESPN Honolulu.
"We're thrilled to be back into the Final Four and now advancing to the final again, something that we'll never take for granted," Wade said. "We know how difficult it is to achieve this, and the fan support that we get is unlike anything anywhere on the planet. We're fortunate that we live in a community that volleyball is a big deal. Men's volleyball, women's volleyball, volleyball has just been such a big part of the community in Hawai‘i, not just in Honolulu and on O‘ahu, but throughout the state. We know that we're playing for an entire state when we get out there and compete, and it's a big deal not only to us, but to all the fans."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
