After two seasons and a national championship at Hawaii, Finn Kearney is ready for a bigger on-court role.
The now former UH outside hitter announced last week on social media he will transfer to rival Long Beach State for the upcoming 2027 season.
Kearney, who is 6 feet 5, was a fan favorite during his time at UH. Injuries to other players allowed him to play a key role late during his freshman season, when he had double figures in kills in seven straight starts to help Hawaii win a Big West championship and advance to the NCAA semifinals.
He played in all but one match as a sophomore but was mostly used as a serving substitute, playing behind Adrien Roure and Louis Sakanoko, who both return next season, on the left side.
“First and foremost, it was a super cool opportunity to play at UH. Two years of my life that I have no regret in coming there at all,” Kearney said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It was a really good decision. Two years well spent, I got a lot better, and I think now it was time to find a bigger role somewhere else and (Long Beach State) was my clearest path to the court.”
A 2024 graduate of Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Phoenix, Kearney was a member of the United States U19 National Team and a highly prized recruit. He was the starting opposite hitter for the U.S. in the U19 Pan American Cup in both 2022 and ’23 and in ’22 was selected the tournament’s best opposite and best server.
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He came to UH as part of a recruiting class that included opposite hitters Kainoa Wade, a captain on the current USA U21 National Team, and Kristian Titriyski, who will not return next season after turning pro in his home country of Bulgaria.
Roure, who was named a second-team All-American this year, was also in that recruiting class, and UH already had returning sophomore Sakanoko, who was named a first-team All-American this season.
With so much talent in front of him, Kearney struggled to get on the court. He knew it would be just as tough coming back for his sophomore year, but he didn’t want to make a quick decision to leave after his freshman season.
“At that point it was a little bit early,” Kearney said. “I didn’t want to make an emotional decision after my first year, and then the plan was kind of if that didn’t go well, then to get out. My full intention up until this last year was always to stay at UH, because it’s definitely a special place. The only thing that was kind of holding me back was a chance to get a bigger role, which I am able to get somewhere else.”
Kearney said he knew he would get some blowback when it was announced he would head to UH’s biggest rival school in the Big West.
He’s already begun to think about what it will be like to play in the Stan Sheriff Center next season wearing a Long Beach State uniform. The Beach are scheduled to play twice in Hawaii during the regular season.
“I can’t wait to put that game on the calendar when the schedule comes out,” Kearney said. “I’ve seen some comments on some (social media) posts and you know I heard it from everyone I broke the news to. I really hope (the Hawaii fans) are forgiving, but we will see. They have always been good to me ever since I first got there.”
In talking with the coaching staff at Long Beach State, Kearney said he expects to primarily play opposite next season.
“Professionally, I would want to end up on the left,” he said.
As for telling his former teammates, one of the harder conversations was with UH floor captain Tread Rosenthal. The two played together coming up in the USA Volleyball system before they were teammates at UH.
“I mean more importantly he’s a great teammate, but most importantly he’s a great friend and just to keep that relationship good was priority No. 1 for me,” Kearney said. “He wants the best for me and obviously it would have been cool for him if I stayed, but he handled it well. It was just great to experience what we did with a super special group that I spent two years with, and it felt like 10 years with those boys. Special group and really special fans.”
Mitchell Croft, a 6-foot-9 pin hitter/middle blocker who spent one season at UH, announced Tuesday he will transfer to Purdue Fort Wayne. Outside hitter Thatcher Fahlbusch, who also spent one year with the ‘Bows, has already announced he is transferring to UCLA.