Starting Wednesday, nationally ranked men’s volleyball teams will be rolling into Manoa in … well … waves.
No. 1 Hawaii enters the week as the last undefeated team remaining among the NCAA’s Division I and II programs and on the cusp of a program record, having dropped just three sets in 13 matches.
Over the next three weeks, the Rainbow Warriors will welcome four of the top seven teams in this week’s NVA/AVCA National Collegiate Coaches Poll to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, and will reach the midpoint of their 28-match regular-season schedule in a series with the seventh-ranked Pepperdine Waves.
“We’re already halfway through the season and it’s going by quick,” UH outside hitter Spyros Chakas said. “It has been a focus on what we do on our side and make sure we get better in our game. Going forward against these tough opponents, we’re just going to have to apply what we’ve learned.”
The stretch of six meetings with ranked opponents in a seven-match span begins Wednesday when UH plays host to Pepperdine in the opener of a two-match series, with the rematch set for Friday.
The series leads into next week’s return of the Outrigger Invitational, which opens March 9. The Warriors will face Purdue Fort Wayne (which received votes in this week’s AVCA poll), No. 3 Penn State and No. 2 UCLA.
The five-week homestand concludes with the start of Big West play and a visit from No. 4 Long Beach State on March 17 and 18 for rematches of last season’s conference tournament final and NCAA championship match.
“We feel really good about ourselves and we also know we can get better throughout the season like we did last year,” UH opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias said. “We keep working every day and we can get much better by the end of the year.
“We always really like playing against really strong opponents,” he said of the upcoming run. “Every time, we play better against these opponents, so we’re really excited about it.”
The Warriors will put a 22-match winning streak on the line when Pepperdine visits on Wednesday and can break the program record they tied last Friday when they swept Long Island University for their 26th consecutive home win.
The Warriors have spread playing time through the first two units in recent weeks, with Brett Sheward moving from libero to start the past four matches at setter while Jakob Thelle manages the wear on his knees.
Thelle took part in warmups before Friday’s match against Long Island and UH coach Charlie Wade said Thelle has participated in practices.
That said, “we’re going to wait until he’s ready to go and ready to finish the rest of the year so we’re not going back and forth,” Wade said.
Collectively, UH ranks first in the nation in assists per set (12.98) and kills per set (13.64).
Pepperdine has an opportunity to spoil a perfect season for the second straight week.
The Waves (10-6) handed No. 5 Grand Canyon its first loss of the season last Friday with a reverse sweep at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
Opposite Jaylen Jasper, the son of former UH quarterback Ivin Jasper, has hammered 305 kills this season for an average of 5.00 per set, which ranks second in the nation. Jasper also ranks 10th in hitting percentage at .408, just behind Mouchlias’ mark of .409, and picked up his fourth MPSF Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday.
Pepperdine setter Bryce Dvorak leads the nation with 10.97 assists per set while leading an attack ranked fifth with a .363 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Akin Akinwumi is hitting .481, good for fourth nationally, and is coming off a career-high 17 kill performance against Grand Canyon on .393 hitting with five blocks and four aces.
BIG WEST HONOR FOR HOGLAND
UH middle blocker Cole Hogland was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance at the net in last week’s sweep of Long Island University.
The ‘Iolani alum from Waimanalo was in on 13 blocks in the two-match series and averaged 2.17 blocks per set. He had eight in the opener last Wednesday and five more in the rematch on Friday. Offensively, Hogland put away nine kills in 12 attempts with one error. He also served up three aces in the series.
Hogland enters the week 10th in the nation with 1.073 blocks per set, good for fourth in the Big West.
Rainbow Warriors volleyball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
No. 7 Pepperdine (10-6) vs. No. 1 Hawaii (13-0)
>> When: Wednesday and Friday, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
