UH men’s volleyball fights on to Final Four with win over USC

A net violation by Southern California on Hawaii’s seventh match point punched the No. 2-seeded Rainbow Warriors’ ticket to the NCAA Final Four with a 25-22, 24-26, 25-23, 32-30 win tonight in a regional final at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 9,943 set the record for the largest single-match attendance in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Hawaii sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski put down a match-high 19 kills and Adrien Roure added 13 kills, six digs and a career-high seven aces.

Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills, five blocks and four digs as all three UH pin hitters had their moments, which UH needed.

Hawaii took a 2-1 lead in the third set when Tread Rosenthal aced the Trojans out of a USC timeout. The set was tied 19 times before Hawaii scored the final two points.

The fourth set was tied 18 more times before UH closed it out with Justin Todd serving.

Three Big West teams advanced to the Final Four, which takes place May 9 and 11 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Hawaii will open with a rematch of the Big West tournament championship against No. 3 seed Long Beach State. UC Irvine faces fourth-seeded Ball State of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in the other semifinal. Both semifinals will stream on ESPN+.

UH middle blockers Todd and Trevell Jordan combined for 14 kills in 24 swings.

Rosenthal finished with a match-high 56 assists, six digs, three blocks and three kills.