COLUMBUS, Ohio >> Charlie Wade missed this.
The architect of the Hawaii men’s volleyball program’s success over the last decade had a rare week off during last year’s NCAA Championship in Long Beach, Calif.
Not every season is going to end the way a coach of 16 years at one school wants.
After not reaching the postseason last year, Wade began to realize during this season just how special it is to get to where he was on Wednesday, answering questions at a press conference ahead of UH’s 10th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
“Kind of down the stretch of the regular season there, I thought about how we really had a chance with this team to get to the postseason,” Wade said. “They do a great job of making it a big deal and winning championships is a big deal. For this group of athletes we have, we were picked third in our league preseason and for us to be in a position to compete for a national championship this year is pretty special.”
The second-seeded Rainbow Warriors practiced inside of Covelli Center, which hosts the entire tournament, on the campus of Ohio State for the first time on Wednesday.
Hawaii (26-5) plays No. 7 seed Penn State (15-15), which had to win a play-in game against Daemen University to reach the final field of eight, in the second quarterfinal today at 7:30 a.m. Hawaii time.
It is the seventh time the two teams will meet in the NCAA Tournament. UH hasn’t played any other school more than twice in the tourney.
“We’re thrilled to play Penn State again. Mark Pavlik, the head coach, is one of the best coaches in the country and one of the best guys in college athletics,” Wade said. “It’s a great honor to play against their program and I think they are a lot better than they were in March.”
The Nittany Lions last played the Rainbow Warriors in the Outrigger Invitational, losing in straight sets.
Hawaii is 4-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament against Penn State and 18-10 overall.
UH will play its first game here since wining the first of back-to-back national championships in 2021.
Senior libero ‘Eleu Choy and middle blocker Kurt Nusterer were on the team back then, but didn’t play.
Choy, who had to wait five years after graduating from Farrington to assume the role of starter, will have a significant hand in the outcome for UH this time around.
“I find it pretty ironic that the first national championship was also here and now my last national championship is also here,” Choy said. “Very excited.”
After taking over as UH men’s coach in 2010, Wade first led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 when the Warriors reached the play-in game.
Including that season, UH has advanced to the postseason six out of nine times, which excludes the COVID-19 pandemic season that was cut short in 2020.
Hawaii’s first national title was won in its last trip here in 2021 when UH swept UC Santa Barbara and Brigham Young.
Wade says there are some similarities, including the hotel the team is staying at, from four years ago. There’s also a level of confidence within the team gained by its recent stretch of performances that led UH to win the Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship.
“I think I have found myself over the last couple of weeks just being more calm and more at ease with where we’re at and what we’re doing,” Wade said. “I think there’s a level of confidence I’ve seen with the guys and how they are communicating with each other, and the level of engagement that tells me that we’re ready to compete, and let’s enjoy the ride.”
Sophomore setter Tread Rosenthal said he hadn’t felt the magnitude of playing in the NCAA Tournament had sunk in yet on Tuesday, but imagined that would change the moment he stepped onto the Covelli Center court for Wednesday’s practice.
“I think I’m more excited to just get out there for the first time and get a good practice in at Ohio State,” Rosenthal said. “There’s obviously some nerves that come with being here for the first time, doing a press conference here for the first time, but it’s just kind of fun for us. We’ve done all of the hard work in our past, and we’re excited to just have fun now.”
Penn State, which swept its way through the EIVA tournament as the No. 3 seed to secure a NCAA berth, made it known it felt like the underdog against UH. Senior outside hitter Wil Kuhns, however, didn’t think it’d necessarily go the same way as the previous matchup.
“They have a good offense. They have a lot of strengths, obviously they have a talented team,” Kuhns said. “I think it’s hard to look back at that match and compare and draw conclusions because I think we have evolved so much as a team and I’m sure so have they.”
NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship
At Covelli Center, Columbus, Ohio
Quarterfinals
Today
>> No. 3 UCLA (20-6) vs. No. 6 Belmont Abbey (17-8), 5 a.m.
>> No. 2 Hawaii (26-5) vs. No. 7 Penn St. (15-15), 7:30 a.m.
>> No. 1 Long Beach State (27-3) vs. No. 8 Fort Valley State (16-9), 11 a.m.
>> No. 4 Loyola Chicago (25-3) vs. No. 5 Pepperdine (20-9), 1:30 p.m.
>> TV: ESPN+
>> Radio: KKEA 1420 AM / 92.7 FM (UH match only)
