Thud.
That was not just the sound of Hawaii’s No. 1 ranking being drop-kicked across the college volleyball landscape. It was the noise that vulnerability makes when it comes crashing down and there’s no safety net.
However the Rainbow Warriors were feeling about this season coming into last week — their unbeaten record, their 25-match home winning streak — their weaknesses, particularly on serve-receive, were exposed by not-No. 2-for-long Brigham Young on Thursday. The 25-15, 25-17, 25-20 sweep was as shocking as it was quick, 98 minutes of Hawaii going from contender to pretender in many eyes.
>> Click here to see photos of Hawaii vs. BYU on Friday. Opens in a new tab
Friday’s rematch appeared headed for an equally stunning repeat, where not even a sold-out crowd — 50th for a UH athletic contest in the Stan Sheriff Center, 11th for the Warriors program — seemingly could prevent the lead balloon of a volleyball from a free fall. After dropping a fairly close Set 1, Hawaii could not hold onto a late leads (18-12 and 20-16), dropping an even closer Set 2 and returning from the locker room staring at an 0-2 deficit for the second straight night.
Warrior junior libero Gage Worsley ran out, had a stare-down with the net, then sprinted along the baseline, looking up and imploring fans to make some noise. It was as much asking for energy-feeding support as it was to chase away the ghost of 2018, the one where Hawaii lost to BYU in Honolulu, then three straight on the road — two in a row at Cal State Northridge, one at Pepperdine.
It is what many point to as the reason the Warriors were snubbed for the NCAA at-large bid. It is the same schedule as this year, with the addition of a second match with the Cougars.
Thud. Actually more like a bang.
That was the sound of senior middle Patrick Gasman’s cracking his fifth service ace on Hawaii’s fifth match point, capping the Warriors’ improbable 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-17 reverse sweep.
In the fifth set, Hawaii again had a large lead (9-4) and again, just as in Set 3, saw the freight train that can be BYU take the lead at 13-11.
This time the Warriors refused to go down, tying at 13, and a solo block by sophomore middle Max Rosenfeld of Branden Oberender swung the momentum back to Hawaii. The Cougars tied it four more times, the last at 17, before Gasman’s seventh kill sent him back to serve for a 16th time.
“I got the toss and I was, ‘all right, it’s go time.’ ” said Gasman, who finished with a career-high 10 digs to tie Worsley for team high. “It was either now or I was never going to get this chance again.”
The ball grazed the tape, then went off the outstretched arms of Cougar Davide Gardini, the fourth time he was aced during the 3 hours and 11 minutes, and the one that counted the most.
“I don’t think we could have done it without them,” freshman hitter Chaz Galloway said of the crowd. “They were the spirit and the soul of our team.
“It meant everything.”
Galloway finished with career highs of 10 kills and three blocks in place of senior Colton Cowell (flu-like symptoms and re-aggravated leg injury). With Cowell out, the Warriors had to adjust their serve-receive formation, which included Galloway and sophomore hitter Filip Humler.
BYU targeted Humler both nights and the Czech national was aced a combined seven times, including three of the Cougars’ five aces Friday.
The matches showcased the top two opposites in the country and legitimate national Player of the Year contenders in Warriors senior Rado Parapunov and Cougars junior Gabi Garcia Fernandez. Garcia Fernandez returned to Provo with impressive stats: a combined 34 kills and 11 aces, the latter already giving him the program single-season record (56).
Parapunov had 40 kills, a career-high 30 coming Friday to go with 10 digs for his third double-double of his career. His .440 hitting also was a career high and he added five blocks and two aces.
The switch that switched it up the most for Hawaii was sophomore Jakob Thelle replacing freshman Brett Sheward at setter late in Set 1 and staying in the final three sets. Thelle has a bigger block and a tougher serve and has been more offensive minded — he had a career-high five kills to go with a career-best 39 assists.
“Everybody stepped up after the second set,” said Thelle, who started the first seven matches of the season. “This is a great team win. This win is for the fans.”
