Hawaii, Long Beach State voted co-favorites in coaches’ Big West volleyball poll

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii setter Jakob Thelle fist bumps head coach Charlie Wade during a match on April 16.

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Hawaii and Long Beach State will enter 2022 as co-favorites in the Big West men’s volleyball race.

The defending national champion Rainbow Warriors and Beach emerged from the voting among the league’s coaches tied for first place in the Big West preseason poll released on Monday. Both teams finished with 21 points and split the first-place votes with three each.

UH was voted No. 1 in the preseason NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll last week with Long Beach State at No. 4.

UC San Diego, which upset UH in the semifinals of the Big West tournament last season, placed third in the Big West preseason poll with 19 points followed by UC Irvine (11), UC Santa Barbara (11) and Cal State Northridge (seven).

UH returns 10 players, including three starters — setter Jakob Thelle, middle blocker Guilherme Voss and outside hitter Chaz Galloway — from a 2021 roster that went 17-1 overall on its way to the national title. LBSU went 7-5 last season and returns All-Big West outside hitter Spencer Olivier and BWC Freshman of the Year Clarke Goldbold. LBSU’s recruiting class was rated No. 1 in the country by VolleyballMag.com.

UH won both meetings with LBSU last season, taking the series opener in four sets and the rematch in five at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, and went on to claim the BWC regular-season title. This season’s matches between Warriors and Beach are set for April 1 and 2 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.

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The Warriors are scheduled to open the season with the Outrigger Challenge against No. 7 Loyola-Chicago on Jan. 5 and 7 in Manoa. Opening night will also feature the unveiling of UH’s national championship banner.

Season tickets went on sale on Monday and are available at etickethawaii.com and at the Stan Sheriff Center box office (open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

>> UC Irvine announced on Monday that its opening series of the season has been canceled “due to the surge of the Omicron variant and in an abundance of caution for the well-being of the student-athletes and staff.” The Anteaters were scheduled to play at Loyola-Chicago on Saturday and at Lewis on Sunday.