Rainbow Warriors advance to Big West volleyball final

IRVINE, Calif. >> Hawaii setter Jakob Thelle fired an ace on match point to tie the program’s career record and punctuate the Rainbow Warriors’ sweep of UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals of the Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship today at the Bren Events Center.

Thelle’s ace gave him 121 in his UH career, tying Costas Theocharidis and Pedra Azenha for the UH record, and the senior set the Warriors to a .394 hitting percentage in a 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 win before a crowd that created a home-court atmosphere in Irvine.

UH will face the winner of today’s second semifinal between second-seeded Long Beach State and No. 3 seed and host UC Irvine. The championship match is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ESPNU.

Hawaii is seeking its third tournament championship. The Warriors claimed the crown in 2019 and 2022.

Hawaii opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias put away 13 kills in 21 swings and outside hitter Chaz Galloway added nine kills in 13 error-free swings as UH (27-2) advanced to the title match for the fourth time in the event’s five-year history. Thelle finished with a double-double with 26 assists and 12 digs.

UCSB senior and Punahou graduate Ryan Wilcox had four kills in his final match for the fourth-seeded Gauchos (8-17).