It was a vintage year for volleyball, 1996 was.

Hawaii made its first appearance in the NCAA men’s championship final.

The Netherlands won both the men’s Olympic gold and World League title.

Stijn van Tilburg was born in Amsterdam.

It already will be his birthday — April 7 — in his home country when van Tilburg and the top-ranked Rainbow Warriors close the regular-season home schedule Saturday night with No. 3 UC Santa Barbara. His parents Theo and Brigitte, both sisters and an uncle have literally flown halfway around the world to share in the senior night festivities along with some 8,000 close friends who have made van Tilburg feel at home for four seasons.

His birthday wish is that this weekend kicks off a celebration that culminates in an NCAA title 29 days from now. Anything less and …

“If we don’t achieve it, you’re always going to think, ‘I could have done better, I could have given more,’ ” said the senior who has earned All-America honors at two positions the past two years. “It wouldn’t be complete. If we win the national championship, then it’s 100 percent complete.

“It wouldn’t just be for us. It would be about giving back all that we’ve gotten as players over the four years. All the love and support, all the people who are so invested in this program. We want to give back.”

It’s been a pretty special ride for Hawaii so far. The Warriors (23-0, 6-0 Big West) not only are undefeated but haven’t dropped a set, putting their NCAA record of 69 consecutive sets won on the line tonight against the Gauchos (17-5, 4-2).

Ask him for one word in Dutch that might describe his senior year and he laughed.

“Is there one word in English that describes this?” was the response. “I hope we can finish it.”

There is no question that van Tilburg has played a huge role in Hawaii’s success during his career. With 1,290 kills, the 6-foot-8 hitter is poised to pass Siki Zarkovic (1,305) for No. 8 on the program’s all-time kills list, something that could happen this weekend.

In any other program, van Tilburg likely would have reached that long before now. But Hawaii’s balanced offense and van Tilburg’s unselfishness have him content with the letter that means more than any number: “W.”

His teammates simply say, “Stijn is Stijn.”

“It’s his experience level, his presence and calmness that as a setter makes it really easy in the most crucial moments to set him,” said senior setter Joe Worsley, the country’s leader in assists. “In the biggest moments, he’s always THE guy. He takes the biggest swings.

“He’s always going to take the smartest swings, the high-percentage shots late in sets. I’m a little biased, but he is the top outside hitter in the country this year.”

One only has to look back to the 10th match of the season, when Hawaii’s streaks were at a modest nine straight sweeps and 29 consecutive sets won. On Feb. 17, against Lincoln Memorial — a third-year program in the Independent Volleyball Association — the Warriors found themselves down 24-22 in Set 3 against the Railsplitters.

Van Tilburg, who had been sitting out since the 25-9 Set 1 victory, re-entered at 24-23. Hawaii held off another two set points to tie at 25.

Everyone knew where the ball was going to go. It didn’t matter. As his teammates agreed, it was as if van Tilburg had taken his first initial and put that “S” on his chest. He put down a set from Joe Worsley and then one from sophomore libero Gage Worsley for a 27-25 win and the rest is history.

“You know that when he touches the ball, it’s going to help us and hurt the other team,” senior hitter Brett Rosenmeier said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.

“He just knows the game. He could play any position. Wherever he’s put, he’s going to play to the best of his abilities.”

“He’s one of the most consistent players I’ve ever played with,” Gage Worsley added. “You know he’s going to show up every night.

“He made that transition (from opposite on the right to left-side hitter) last year and he figured it out.”

As Hawaii coach Charlie Wade puts it, “Stijn certainly has embraced our whole mantra of being good at everything.”

“He’s crushed in school,” Wade said of the two-time academic all-conference pick. “And for sure he’s sacrificed for the team.

“He changed positions and still was a first-team All-American. He took on an extra work load that wasn’t his strength (being part of the serve-receive pattern), which just shows his willingness to do anything to help the team win.”

As a sophomore, van Tilburg said it was all about the fun as the Warriors made it to the final four and finished tied for third. He said last season was more business-like, one where Hawaii was surprisingly overlooked for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

This year?

“It’s more like redemption,” said van Tilburg, No. 2 nationally in hitting percentage (.500) and 10th in kills average (3.92). “We have one last chance. It’s about leaving nothing on the floor.

“It hasn’t been hard to focus. We just like playing volleyball. I’m super excited for this week. And if it’s close to being sold out, it’s going to be super fun.”

Note

Nearly 8,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday, which would be the largest crowd since senior night 2015 against Stanford.