In the end both teams gathered at midcourt and with arms raised ended the night with a full-throated “Warriors.”

Indeed, it was a night for unity within SimpiFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Friday in a celebration of the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball program’s past and present.

For the record, the main event of the program’s alumni match went to the current Rainbow Warriors 25-13, 25-20. But the scores mattered little compared to the connection within the program, with alumni ranging from members of the inaugural team in 1979 to Colton Cowell, one of the leaders of last year’s national championship team.

“It was just very special energy with the history of the program,” Cowell said. “It really gives you that surreal feeling where you can step back and appreciate everybody that has come through this program and continues to contribute over time. It was very special and we have some very distinguished alumni.”

That group includes U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele, who played for UH from 1995 to ’97 and made a day-long journey from Washington D.C. to Honolulu on Friday to be part of the match.

“Once a Warrior, always a Warrior,” Kahele said. “Coming here is an opportunity to support the team and all the hard work, and to come and say aloha to the fans, the aunties in the stands, and everybody that has supported us for so many years.”

Kahele brought with him a certificate from the U.S. House of Representatives honoring last season’s national championship, which he plans to present to the team at the program’s fundraiser dinner on Sunday.

Cowell, wearing former Warrior Rick Tune’s No. 15 jersey, had seven kills in the best-of-three match and tested the varsity’s reception on his turns from the service line before heading to India, hopefully next week, to start his professional career.

Along with the turnout of alumni across the net, UH coach Charlie Wade marveled at the attendance in the stands for the night’s festivities.

“(UH assistant coach Josh Walker) puts a lot of work into putting this together and I think it was a fun night for everybody,” Wade said. “And I gotta mention the crowd — it was amazing the number of people who came out to enjoy it.”

Walker, a former UH outside hitter and the program’s alumni liaison, got into the match in the second set. With Wade making full use of the open substitution rules to send setter Jakob Thelle back to serve repeatedly, Walker figured he’d see the ball coming his way quite a bit.

“That was the whole point,” Walker said. “I see all of them trying to target me and just missing and I was like, ‘Don’t get aced, don’t get aced,’ because I’ll hear it all week in practice.”

With Thelle, among the nation’s ace leaders, going back to the line, the alumni countered at one point by lining up nine players in the back row and celebrated heartily when they were able to sideout.

“Jake needed to get a little work in,” Wade said. “It was all in good fun.”

Wade started the Warriors’ regular lineup for the opening set and sophomores Dimitrios Mouchlias and Spyros Chakas had six kills each. The alumni highlights included two kills in the middle from former All-America libero Larry Tuileta and three kills for Kupono Fey on his birthday.

The Warriors’ next unit came in for the second set and the alumni were able to stay close behind Cowell, Walker and Sinisa Zarkovic (2013-16) before the varsity pulled away.

The night began with a mixed group of “Warrior Alumni” winning a 25-18 set with “Team ’79”, made up of members from the early days of the program.

Among the highlights of the skills competitions, Brian Beckwith (2004-07), wearing sneakers he bought on the way to the arena, won a setting duel with Mouchlias. UH opposite Alakai Todd won a serving accuracy duel competition with Jerry Kukuruda (1980-81) and Makua Marumoto edged Justin Ching (2008-10) in a target hitting event.