Rainbow Warriors bounce Penn State in 4 to advance to
< img width="760 "height=" 533 "src="https://www.staradvertiser.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/web1_SPT-Hawaii-NCAA-09.jpg"alt="BARBARA PERENIC/ SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER Finn Kearney(11)of Hawaii commemorates a point
during an
NCAA Department I men’s champion quarterfinal beach ball match today versus Penn State at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. Hawaii won the match 3-1.”/ > 1/2 Swipe or click to see more BARBARA PERENIC/ SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER Finn Kearney (11)of Hawaii commemorates a point throughout an NCAA Department I males’s championship quarterfinal volley ball match today against Penn State at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. Hawaii won the match 3-1. 2/2 Swipe or click to see more BARBARA PERENIC/ SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER Hawaii fans celebrate a point during an NCAA Division I championship quarterfinal guys’s beach ball match today versus Penn State at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. Hawaii won the match 3-1. COLUMBUS, Ohio >> The second-seeded Hawaii males’s beach ball group found a way to advance regardless of not playing its best in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. Freshman opposite Finn Kearney had a team-high 16 kills and four aces and Louis Sakanoko added three clutch aces, including two back-to-back in the 4th set to help the Rainbow Warriors turn back No. 7 seed Penn State 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23 at the Covelli Center.
Senior Kurt Nusterer included nine eliminates and three blocks and freshman Justin Todd added 8 kills with 4 blocks and hit.800 out of the middle with 2 of Hawaii’s 10 aces as UH (27-5) required every advantage from the service line to ward off the upset-minded Nittany Lions (15-16).
Matthew Luoma had a match-high 17 eliminates to lead Penn State, which held Hawaii to a. 238 striking percentage. The Nittany Lions had actually lost to Hawaii in straight sets in the Outrigger Invitational in March with two of those set loses visiting double digits.
“That’s a lot much better group than we played in March. I truly believed entering it that was going to be one of the toughest matches of the week,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade stated. “At the end, it’s win and advance. We didn’t have a terrific night and we still won. We didn’t receive effectively, we didn’t attack effectively and still we were able to advance to the national semifinals.”
Hawaii will play two-time defending nationwide champ and No. 3 seed UCLA on Saturday in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Hawaii time.
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