An emotional win last Saturday gave Hawaii a shot at wrapping up the Big West regular-season title this weekend.
So although the undefeated and top-ranked Rainbow Warriors face a struggling Cal State Northridge team the next two days, UH’s last visit to the Matadome figures to keep them from dwelling on past victories or glancing to the prospects ahead.
“Most of these guys were on the team in 2018, when we were pretty good, ended up going to Northridge and losing twice and really hurt our season,” UH coach Charlie Wade recalled.
“That’s the only thing we can really point (as) to why we didn’t get into the NCAA tournament that year. Northridge is always a good team, tough gym to play in, everybody plays better at home. It’s hard to win on the road, so I can’t imagine that we’re going to overlook them.”
Looking back, the Warriors’ last two trips to Northridge, Calif., ended in disappointment.
In 2018, the Warriors were 13-3 and coming off a four-set loss to BYU in the championship match of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational when they arrived in Northridge, Calif., for a mid-March series.
The host Matadors swept both matches and UH staggered to a four-set loss at Pepperdine to close the road trip.
Although the Warriors recovered to win six of their next eight matches, closing with a loss to Long Beach State in the inaugural Big West tournament final, they were denied an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Last year, the Warriors were riding the high of a raucous home win over BYU and were in California to open the Big West schedule at CSUN when they received word that the remainder of the season was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
They departed for Northridge again on Wednesday having owned the top line of the NVA/AVCA rankings for the past six weeks and enter today’s series opener at 11-0 overall and 6-0 in Big West play. Two wins over the Matadors (1-5 overall and BWC) would wrap up the conference’s regular-season title and the top seed in the Big West tournament, set for April 22-24 in Manoa.
CSUN, the lone Big West team not ranked in the coaches poll, had to wait until March 20 to open its season and has dropped its last four matches. The Matadors threatened to end the skid last Saturday in a five-set duel with No. 13 UC San Diego, winning the fourth set 37-35 before falling to the Tritons 15-10 in the fifth.
Outside hitter Griffin Walters led the Matadors with a career-high 17 kills while hitting .343 and Maciej Ptaszynski finished the night with 16, also a career best. Daniel Wetter, a 6-foot-5 middle blocker, leads the CSUN regulars with 2.55 kills per set while hitting .462.
“(CSUN setter Kyle Merchen) does a good job of getting the ball into Wetter and that guy’s a load to deal with,” Wade said. “They’ve got some good arms in there, they’re always going to be aggressive serving and certainly a good team.”
The hitting statistics follow the conference standings, with UH leading the Big West and the nation at .366 with CSUN sixth at .239.
Like CSUN, UH is coming off a five-set match in last Saturday’s battle with Long Beach State. The Warriors lost the opening set on both nights against the Beach and came back to win in four last Friday and went the distance in the rematch before pulling away in the fifth set.
“Close sets and close matches you know it kind of hardens the steel a little when you’re in the fire like that,” Wade said. “So anytime you get into really close sets and really close matches, I think it helps you going forward.”
Wade is hopeful UH outside hitter Colton Cowell will be able to return after the senior sat out last Saturday’s match with an ankle injury. Wade said following Thursday’s practice Cowell’s availability today will be a game-time decision. Freshman Spyros Chakas started in Cowell’s place against LBSU and Wade said sophomore Kana’i Akana has been playing well and is “in the mix” as well.
Big West men’s volleyball
At the Matadome, Northridge, Calif.
No. 1 Hawaii (11-0, 6-0 Big West) vs. Cal State Northridge (1-5, 1-5)
>> Today and Saturday, 1 p.m.
>> Radio: Today, 1420-AM / 92.7-FM; Saturday, 1500-AM
>> Online video: bigwest.tv
