Is it a trend with some logical reason behind it? Or is it just a coincidence?
The last four schools to win the NCAA championship in men’s volleyball successfully defended their title the next season. So, if you’re a University of Hawaii fan, you want that trend to continue.
North Greenville on Tuesday wasn’t much more than a warmup for the Warriors. The intensity ramps up with Thursday’s semifinal, as Hawaii’s opponent is Ball State.
UH must face a team that took it down twice. Granted, it was way back in January, and on the road. But there they are: the guys responsible for two of Hawaii’s five losses this season.
Even if the Warriors don’t keep the successful championship-defense trend going, they’ve put together one of the best two-year runs in UH sports history (three, if you count COVID-abbreviated 2020, when they went 15-1 before the season was shut down). There’s plenty of room for disagreement, but these are my favorites.
1. Women’s volleyball, 1982 and ’83.
The top spot is an easy choice, at least until Saturday. The Wahine became the first women’s volleyball program to win back-to-back in NCAA history, amassing a 67-3 record. Middle blocker Deitre Collins, a future Hall of Famer, was dominant as national player of the year both seasons. She was also the first volleyball player to win the Broderick Cup, given annually to the most outstanding woman in college sports. These were the second and third crowns under coach Dave Shoji.
2. Baseball, 1979 and ’80
This was the epitome of reloading, at least when it came to pitching. Derek Tatsuno went 20-1 with 234 strikeouts — both still standing as all-time NCAA records — as a junior in ’79, when the Rainbows went 69-15 and to the NCAA Regionals. Tatsuno elected not to return for his senior season, but that didn’t slow down Les Murakami’s powerhouse, as Chuck Crim went 15-0, and another freshman pitcher, Bryan Duquette, was also outstanding. Plus, the bulk of the starting lineup was back, and the ’80 squad came within one victory of the national championship. But UH lost twice to Arizona in the College World Series — the same team that ended Hawaii’s season in the ’79 regionals. The ’Bows were 129-33 over the two years.
3. Women’s volleyball, 1987 and ’88
UH knocked off Stanford for its fourth national championship in 1987, and the Wahine came up just one match short of another back-to-back national championship run the next December. After UH took down Illinois in the semifinals, Texas swept the Wahine in the ’88 final. Teee Williams was the star of this group, ably assisted by setter Martina Cincerova.
4. Football, 2006 and ’07
Some will say this is too high because of how things ended. But regardless of the lopsided loss to Georgia, just getting to the Sugar Bowl was huge, and was actually the culmination of a two-year effort since UH was positioned in the ’07 preseason Top 25 by its ’06 excellence. The Colt Brennan/June Jones era ended with a two-year run of 23-4. Most close observers agree the ’06 team that went 11-3 was actually better than the 12-1 ’07 squad. In 2006 Brennan was healthier, the offensive line more experienced, and the three losses (at Alabama and Boise State and vs. Oregon State at home) were all decided by one score.
5. Men’s basketball, 1971 and ’72
Other UH basketball teams compiled better records, but none captured the hearts of fans like the “Fab Five” of John Penebacker, Jerome Freeman, Dwight Holiday, Bob Nash and Al Davis, which went 47-8 under Red Rocha and secured UH’s first NIT and NCAA Tournament berths.
6. Men’s volleyball, 1995 and ’96
Fans literally danced in the aisles, celebrating frontman Yuval Katz and the rest of a rock-star squad that filled the arena. These Warriors went 46-11 and to the NCAA Final Four both years. Hearts were broken when they needed just one more point for the ’96 title but lost to UCLA.
7. Softball, 2007 and ’08
If we’re talking one magical season, it would be 2010’s Women’s College World Series appearance and NCAA team home run record. But clearly, the best two-year run was when the Wahine went 90-34, with double-threat Kate Robinson slugging and pitching UH to an NCAA super regional in ’07 and a regional in ’08. The teams that ousted Hawaii — Tennessee and Arizona State — ended up as runner-up and winner of the WCWS.
8. Men’s basketball, 2015 and ’16
These teams combined to go 50-19 — the players were mostly the same, but they had different coaches each year, Benjy Taylor and Eran Ganot.
More importantly, the ’16 squad, which went 28-4 in Ganot’s first season, finally broke through for Hawaii’s first win in an NCAA Tournament game.
9. Women’s basketball, 1993 and ’94
These back-to-back Big West champs went a combined 53-9 under Vince Goo, with the ’93 team at 28-4.
TBD. Men’s volleyball, 2021 and ’22
We’ll have the info we need to debate precisely where these Warriors belong on this list in a few days.
