After a losing sweep on Feb. 28, the No. 3 UC Irvine Anteaters (10-4, 0-2) rematched the No. 4 Rainbow Warriors (15-1, 2-0) at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on March 2, but were unsuccessful. Hawai’i secured the hard-fought win with set scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-20.
Set 1
The Rainbow Warriors served first and quickly opened the scoring with a kill. UC Irvine junior opposite William D’Arcy responded with a kill of his own to tie the score. The teams traded points until Hawai’i sophomore outside hitter/opposite Louis Sakanoko earned two points, giving Hawai’i a 6-4 lead. UCI countered with a kill from senior outside hitter Hilir Henno and a service ace from freshman middle blocker Micah Goss to even the score at 6-6.
The set continued with both teams trading points, but Irvine began to gain momentum with a four-point run, including a service ace and a kill from Henno and a kill by Goss, to take a 15-12 lead. However, Hawai’i responded with a service error from UC Irvine senior outside hitter Nolan Flexen and two service aces from Sakanoko, again tying the score. The teams remained locked in a back-and-forth battle, but Irvine regained an 18-15 lead thanks to another three-point run sparked by Goss’ offensive efforts.
Hawai’i went on a five-point run fueled by UC Irvine’s attack errors and miscues in set plays. Despite a final kill from Henno to narrow the gap, Hawai’i sealed the set with the last two points, winning the set 25-22.
Set 2
The Anteaters came out strong in the second set as Henno earned the first point with a kill. The teams continued to trade points until Hawai’i surged to a 6-3 lead, thanks to back-to-back kills from Sakanoko. Despite a brief attack error by Sakanoko, Hawai’i continued their rhythm with another three-point run, extending the lead to 9-4.
UC Irvine fought back, but Hawai’i freshman opposite Kristian Titriyski contributed back-to-back kills as part of another three-point run. Although Henno and Flexen worked to close the gap with some key points, UC Irvine’s attack errors allowed Hawai’i to take advantage, pushing their lead to 22-15.
Henno’s two kills briefly kept UCI’s hopes alive, but Hawai’i finished the set 25-19, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3
UC Irvine came out in the third set with a kill from Goss, but Hawai’i quickly responded with a seven-point run, aided by several attack errors from the Anteaters. The score quickly ballooned to 7-1 in favor of Hawai’i. Despite a series of rallies and efforts from Irvine to recover, including a three-point run sparked by junior middle blocker Maxim Grigoriev’s kill and block, the Anteaters could not close the gap.
Hawai’i’s offense, led by Titriyski, continued to dominate as he recorded three more kills. UC Irvine attempted a comeback, but Titriyski’s additional two kills brought the score to 22-16. Despite a final rally and a last kill from Henno, Hawai’i sealed the set 25-20, completing the sweep with a 3-0 victory.
This loss marks UC Irvine’s fourth consecutive defeat; a streak not seen since the 2023 season. The Anteaters will now regroup and prepare to host Pepperdine at the Bren Events Center on March 7.
Abigail Park is a Sports Staff Writer. She can be reached at appark@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor