Nearly two hours had passed since match point and Cole Hogland was just making his way toward the locker room.
The announcement that SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center was now closed had been delivered multiple times before the last few fans who had stuck around to give lei to the Hawaii seniors or perhaps take a selfie with a favorite Rainbow Warrior finally headed up the stairs.
Hogland, one of UH’s six Senior Night honorees, then had a moment to reflect on the emotional sendoff that followed the Warriors’ sweep of UC San Diego in the sold-out arena on Saturday night while looking ahead to this week’s Big West Men’s Volleyball Tournament in Irvine, Calif.
“Just winning the game was the top priority because it puts us in the first seed. That was by far the main goal coming in,” Hogland said. “And then the experience of (senior night), it’s a cliche thing to say, but you don’t get this anywhere else in the world. I’m super thankful for everyone.”
The top-ranked Warriors (26-2, 9-1 Big West) closed the regular season with their ninth straight win to clinch a tie with Long Beach State for first place in the conference standings and the top seed in the six-team tournament bracket thanks to a 144-141 edge in total points in the split of their head-to-head series.
Having secured a bye in the first round, UH will open its Big West Tournament title defense in the 2 p.m. semifinal on Friday at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center. The Warriors will await the winner of Thursday’s first-round match between fourth-seeded UC Santa Barbara (7-16, 3-7) and fifth-seeded UC San Diego (8-16, 2-8).
“I think the mentality really shifts to (the tournament) and I’m just looking forward to Friday,” Hogland said. “Whoever we play, I know they’re going to be a great opponent and we have to come out firing to win the game.”
UH has won its last 15 meetings with UCSB and swept both meetings this season in Santa Barbara, Calif., pulling out 29-27 wins in the third set of both matches. The Gauchos closed the regular season by sweeping a home-and-home series with Cal State Northridge.
UCSD had won two of the previous three meetings with UH before the Warriors’ series sweep over the weekend. UCSD senior Ryan Ka put away 20 kills in Friday’s four-set match and freshman Josh Schellinger led the Triitons with 12 kills on Saturday.
“They’re playing really well,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “I was really impressed with their outside hitters both nights and they’re a tough out.”
On the other side of the bracket, Long Beach State will face host UC Irvine or sixth-seeded Cal State Northridge in the other semifinal. The Beach, ranked fourth in last week’s AVCA coaches poll, closed the regular season with a reverse sweep of No. 5 UCI on Saturday in Irvine with a potential rematch on Friday.
The championship match, with the Big West’s automatic bid into the National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship at stake, is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
The bracket for the NCAA tournament, set for May 4-6 in Fairfax, Va., will be revealed on Sunday at 7 a.m. on ncaa.com.
The first-round bye affords the Warriors an extra day to scout and recharge following a 28-match schedule spread over 14 weeks and the regular-season co-championship adds a significant line to their postseason resume. The Warriors spent all but one week atop the AVCA poll and carry the experience of back-to-back national championship runs into the conference tournament.
“We’re going to do our best to recover the next two days and we’re going to go out there and play with our heart,” UH outside hitter Spyros Chakas said Saturday night.
“It’s the moment we all look forward to. … Finishing the (regular) season on a high note and then carrying this energy to the playoffs.”
The Warriors closed the regular season with an evening of high emotion after completing the series sweep of UCSD. UH’s efficiency offensively and from the service line undulated over its final two home matches, but the Warriors’ block was a near-constant presence with a season-high 14 on Friday and another 12 on Saturday when UH held UCSD to a .220 hitting percentage.
There would be no containing the tears after the match, however, amid the celebration of UH’s outgoing class — Hogland, Kana’i Akana, Filip Humler, Devon Johnson, Dimitrios Mouchias and Jakob Thelle — following their final appearances in front of the home crowd.
“It was a very emotional night for all of us,” said Chakas, a junior. “Coming off the game, you had the nerves, you had the adrenaline, but we all broke down and started crying like young kids.”
Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship
At Bren Events Center; Irvine, Calif.
Thursday
First round
No. 4 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 5 UC San Diego, 2 p.m.
No. 3 UC Irvine vs. No. 6 Cal State Northridge, 4:30 p.m.
Friday
Semifinals
No. 1 Hawaii vs. UCSB/UCSD winner, 2 p.m.
No. 2 Long Beach State vs. UCI/CSUN winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 4:30 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Thursday and Friday), ESPNU (Saturday)
>> Radio: UH matches on 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
