Hawaii Finishes 2026 on Top
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defeated the UC Irvine Anteaters 3-1 to earn their 3rd NCAA Championship in 6 years.
Number of the Day
30 - Hawaii is a storied program in the volleyball world. And yet, they are still finding ways to raise their own standards. This season saw the Rainbow Warriors start their season the earliest in program history, January 2nd. With their victory in the NCAA Championship, they also set a program record for most wins in a season with 30. The most important number for Hawaii was 3, because that was the number of sets they needed to win yesterday to add to their trophy collection. Congratulations to the Rainbow Warriors on a successful season!
Yesterday’s Championship Scores
#2 Hawai’i (61%) def. UC Irvine (39%)
3-1 (15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20)
Flowers for the Anteaters
It is never easy to lose, but I hope UC Irvine can hold their heads high. This team was something special. Freshman phenom Andrej Jokanovic (OH) was as good as advertised. It was not shocking to anyone when he received the AVCA Newcomer of the Year award. Then you add in an AVCA 1st Team All-American season from Libero Shane Aitken to lead one of the best passing teams in the country. This passing was directly connected to the rise of middles Trevor Clark and Micah Goss. Ooh yeah, let’s not forget the Redshirt Freshman setter Cameron Kosty who was forced to step into a larger role than originally planned due to injury. The lone Senior starting for Irvine down the stretch was none other than William D’Arcy, standing at a healthy 6’10”.
David Kniffin knows how to coach a team. He also knows that is takes effort to build a program into something truly special. He continues to put in that effort and it shows. Teams across the country should be terrified of what is happening in Irvine. D’Arcy is the only starting senior on this team. Trevor Clark and Andon Kiriakou are the only other upperclassman in the Anteater rotation.
After seeing the environment that UC Irvine is developing at their home matches first hand, I am confident in this program. Getting fan buy-in is hard. But getting students excited to be at a match, teaching chants for aces and blocks, and bussing fans to these major tournaments is exactly what it takes. Job well done to the entire staff at UC Irvine that has worked this season to create excitement for men’s volleyball. I know they aren’t done yet and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these Anteaters.
How Hawaii Won
The first set was all UC Irvine. The Anteaters out-blocked the Rainbow Warriors 7-1. This is just the first set! Hawaii was only able to hit .167 in the opening frame. They only scored 15 points in the set, which was the least the Rainbow Warriors had scored in any set all season. But one set does not define a match.
For the next three sets, Hawaii would not hit below .450! They finished the match hitting .410. This was their highest hitting percentage since the last time they played UC Irvine in early April. This was also the15th time this season that Hawaii hit about .400. This has been an efficient offense all season.
Kristian Titriyski led all players with 16 kills. The two outsides for Hawaii added in 15 kills (Adrien Roure) and 12 kills (Louis Sakanoko). Sakanoko would go on to be named the Most Outstanding Player. In addition to his dozen kills, he added 3 aces. Those three aces all came in a row and in Set 4. It was exactly the performance that Hawaii needed out of their 1st Team All-American outside.
Tread Rosenthal, the other Hawaii AVCA 1st Team All-American, came in nursing an injury but it didn’t seem like it slowed him down. With 44 assists and a team co-lead in blocks, Rosenthal was a constant impact on the match. With UC Irvine having such strong middles, the question for this match was going to be how could Hawaii use their middles. Rosenthal set his middles 17 times and they produced 12 kills. The question of the middles was answered with resounding strength.
In the end, Hawaii overpowered UC Irvine in sets 2, 3, and 4 to win the 2026 NCAA Championship. This was a team that looked in control and was the better team last night. This was the fourth time in school history that they have won the NCAA Championship match and the third time that the NCAA has acknowledged that win.
What’s Next
The starting lineup for these two teams included 1 total graduating senior. Yes, just 1. The future for both of these programs are incredibly bright. It isn’t crazy to think that they could both be in this same position next year.
There is a major asterisk on this though. Although there was only 1 senior, the landscape of college volleyball is rapidly changing. I think we are going to see more and more one-and-done players go play professionally. I also think we will see more players that have not completed their 4 years at a college turn pro.
The math has two major parts: money and age. Getting more money sooner is something just about everyone wants. I get it. Then there is the age component. These players only have so many jumps and swings in their body. Turning pro sooner gives them a chance to work towards the biggest stages in volleyball (Summer Olympics, anyone?) with the limited time they have in the sport. Everyone retires eventually, and these young men are getting the opportunity to begin their professional careers as they continue to grow and excel.
I won’t be surprised if players on both sides of the net end up starting their professional careers early. Whether that is next year or in future years. Regardless of what these two teams look like exactly come next season, they are setup well for a strong 2027 and beyond.
The 2026 season is complete.
The 2027 season starts today.