Hawaii volleyball team sweeps UC Santa Barbara, plays Long Beach State for Big West title

Spyros Chakas’ solo block on match level offered an emphatic punctuation to the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team’s sweep of UC Santa Barbara tonight in the semifinals of the Major West Championship at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Centre.

UH’s block set the tone early and the Rainbow Warriors concluded with 13 in their 25-18, 26-24, 25-14 gain around the Gauchos prior to a group of 4,734.

The fourth-rated and second-seeded Warriors state-of-the-art to Saturday’s championship match versus leading-seeded Long Seashore State with the conference’s computerized bid to the NCAA Event on the line. The title match is established for 7:30 p.m.

UH reverse Dimitrios Mouchlias, the reigning Massive West and AVCA Participant of the Week, led the Warriors with 15 kills on .419 hitting. Chakas extra 11 kills, two aces and was in on five blocks in UH’s third acquire above UCSB this period and 13th straight in the sequence with the Gauchos.

Punahou graduate Ryan Wilcox led UCSB with 13 kills and the Warriors held the Gauchos to .167 hitting.

UH posted two blocks in a five-point operate with Chakas at the assistance line in the opening set. Chakas later on had a few kills in a 4-position Jakob Thelle support change. UH strike .444 in the established with just a person attack error and held UCSB to a .152 general performance thanks in element to 6 blocks and 11 digs.

>> Photographs: Hawaii vs. UCSB

Mouchlias had 7 kills with no faults in 11 swings in the second established to help the Warriors fend off the Gauchos. Wilcox experienced two aces in a five-position UCSB operate that gave the Gauchos an 18-16 guide. The Warriors went on a 6-2 surge and shut the set on Cole Hogland’s solo block.

The Warriors took handle of the 3rd set with Chakas’ five-issue service run highlighted by again-to-again aces. They continued to pull absent and Chakas block established up a third assembly with LBSU.

Prolonged Beach State swept the common-season collection with the Warriors with two four-established wins at the Walter Pyramid on April 1 and 2.

In tonight’s first semifinal, Long Beach Condition freshman Alex Nikolov put away 11 of his job-higher 28 kills in the fourth set and the top rated-seeded Seashore rallied earlier UC Irvine 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 29-27 get.

Nikolov hit .558 on his 43 assaults to direct the Beach front to its third Large West match closing.

“He’s a big-time player, he has a major arm and scores factors for us all around the court docket and he will make us go,” LBSU mentor Alan Knipe mentioned.

Clarke Godbold added 15 kills on .400 hitting and Nathan Harlan presented a raise off the bench from the services line and with 5 kills.