If last season hadn’t happened the way it did, would this season have happened the way it has?
No one can say for sure, but the Hawaii players do know this: Not making the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament last year, learning that they hadn’t received the at-large bid during the flight back to Honolulu, was motivation, incentive and any and all other terms that drive purpose. The Rainbow Warriors decided that they were not going to leave their postseason fate in the hands of anyone but themselves.
To that end, it meant winning on the road, where three consecutive losses away from home in 2018 may have tipped the at-large decision in UC Irvine’s favor. To that end, it meant winning … period.
The Warriors did both.
Their only road losses came at Long Beach State two weeks ago, both in five sets at the Pyramid, where the 49ers have now won 41 straight. And Hawaii (27-2) won 25 matches in a row, setting an NCAA record of 74 consecutive sets won in the process.
Now wearing the crown and target as Big West champion, Hawaii has been using this bye week to refresh, renew and refocus. The Warriors make the return trip to Long Beach State on Monday and will take in Tuesday’s match between USC and Lewis that will decide their opponent in Thursday’s semifinal.
“Our guys have worked hard to elevate their game, and you would like to think that would have happened no matter what,” Hawaii senior setter Joe Worsley said. “But for sure there was extra motivation after how it all ended last year.”
“There’s no doubt that the guys worked hard over the summer and it made a difference,” added senior middle Dalton Solbrig. “We felt those road losses last year were the reason we didn’t get in. It made us focus. It made us better.”
With no matches this week, the Warriors concentrated on school — the semester ends Thursday — and themselves. It’s an opportunity to rest up and stay healthy; Hawaii took Monday and Thursday off, and also won’t practice Sunday.
“This week is about staying fresh,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “Last week with the tournament preparation we didn’t get the opportunity to work on individual things, ball-handling stuff. There’s a little flu bug going through, so at this point it’s about that and getting healthy, staying sharp and getting rested.”
The anticipation is that top-seeded Hawaii and second-seeded Long Beach State (26-2) will meet for the fourth time this season in the May 4 title match. But nothing is guaranteed and no one is looking ahead.
“We still gotta stay focused,” Wade said. “Lewis and SC are really good, and you don’t want to take anything for granted.
“Getting the No. 1 seed doesn’t matter a ton. It does give you a little confidence, and this is the first time we go straight to the semis.”
Long Beach State also won’t learn its semifinal opponent until after Tuesday’s other first-round match between Pepperdine and Princeton. The Tigers (18-2) defeated host Barton 25-23, 25-21 18-25, 25-20 to advance to Tuesday’s first-round match against Pepperdine.
This week’s practices have been held in an empty Stan Sheriff Center. Still, the arena was filled with memories of Saturday’s electrifying victory over the 49ers played in front of a second soldout crowd in three weeks.
The Warriors spoke about friends still not having voices after cheering throughout the 2 hours and 50 minutes. The memories of the sustained loudness echoed in their heads.
Wade continues to receive congratulatory texts and emails from around the world. One email came from former Nebraska women’s coach Terry Pettit, retired since 1999.
“He said it was the most intense environment for a college match that he had ever seen anywhere ever, and he stayed up watching from Nebraska,” Wade said. “I believe him. The crowd was completely invested from the beginning.
“In this day and age (of online streaming) people all over the world were able to watch this match that had the two best teams in America playing in front of 10,000 people. It garnered attention globally. It wasn’t just a big deal for people in Hawaii. It was one people watched and were entertained all over the world.”
