When the calendar turns to April, the stakes typically rise in the Big West men’s volleyball race.
The axiom certainly holds true in this weekend’s series between No. 1 Hawaii and No. 5 UC Irvine.
The Rainbow Warriors enter the penultimate series of the regular season one game behind the Big West-leading Anteaters and aiming to climb in the conference standings.
UC Irvine, meanwhile, arrived in Honolulu looking to maintain its hold on the top spot while enhancing its national profile in two matchups with the top-ranked Warriors.
“We’re pretty aware that we’ve played the most difficult schedule in the country,” UC Irvine coach David Kniffin said. “We’re also very aware that even though we’ve matched up well against some Top 5 teams, we haven’t beaten a Top 5 team yet.
“So those two realities are in play for us, so I think were excited to test ourselves against a pretty darn good Hawaii volleyball team and see how we fare in a tough environment.”
UH opens its final homestand with tonight’s match with the Anteaters at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, with the rematch set for Saturday.
UC Irvine (16-6, 6-0 Big West) enters the series alone in first place in the Big West standings, with series against UH (22-2, 5-1) and Long Beach State (16-3, 5-1) left on the schedule. Along with the edge in the race for the regular-season title, a day off in two weeks could hinge on the outcome of the weekend in Manoa.
The top two finishers in the three-team race earn first-round byes in the Big West Tournament set for April 20-22 at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center.
“That’s the important piece,” Kniffin said. “It’s the durability of having to go potentially three nights in a row to win the Big West championship. … You consider a dynamic sport like volleyball, that night of rest is a big deal.”
For the moment, the next two nights will feature ample firepower at the net and from the service line on both sides of the court and a duel of dynamic setters.
UC Irvine pin hitter Francesco Sani, a 6-foot-8 junior, leads the Big West with 3.98 kills per set while hitting .327. UH opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias ranks just behind Sani with 3.87 kills per set on a league-high .395 hitting, with outside hitter Spyros Chakas third at 3.74.
“I’ve been saying all year they’re the most physical team on the pins for sure,” UH coach Charlie Wade said. “It’ll be a battle for sure.”
Hilir Henno, also a 6-foot-8 pin hitter, complements Sani with 3.30 kps and has fired 73 aces in 74 sets for an NCAA-leading average of .986. As a point of reference, UH setter Jakob Thelle led the nation with an average of .590 aces per set last season with a program-record total of 61.
Henno, a sophomore from France, recorded at least two aces in all but two matches this season, with a high of nine in a five-set loss to Penn State on March 5.
In all, five of the top seven Big West leaders in aces per set will be on the court, with Henno and Sani (third, 0.52) on one side and Thelle (fourth, 0.42), Chakas (fifth, 0.38) and Mouchlias (seventh, 0.36) on the other.
“There’s going to be a lot of strong serves coming,” said Wade, who marveled at Henno’s average as “a number we never see.”
“They’ve got two or three guys like that, as do we. So it’s really going to be who’s on and who can perform when it counts.”
Thelle, who sat out seven matches early in the season, runs a UH offense ranked second in the country with a .373 hitting percentage while leading the nation with 10.75 assists per set.
“We’re coming down the stretch and we’re getting him at full strength,” Wade said. “And there’s still stuff in the pracitce gym that we’re working on and guys are showing up every day fired up, so it’s an exciting time of year.”
Kniffin will counter with junior Joe Karlous, who has the Anteaters hitting .324, calling him “the glue” to the UCI attack.
“In terms of putting hitters in the best possible position given the circumstances he’s in, I think he’s about as good as it gets,” Kniffin said.
UH has won the past 10 meetings with UC Irvine and survived five-set duels in each of the past two seasons.
“We’ve had some really nice matchups over the years, and the environment obviously is one of a kind,” Kniffin said.
BIG WEST MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
No. 5 UC Irvine (16-6, 6-0 BWC) vs. No. 1 Hawaii (22-2, 5-1)
>>When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
>> Promotions: Club Sports Night (today) — clubs are encouraged to rake advantage of group rates and wear their jerseys to the match. Magnum P.I. Night (Saturday) — cast and crew from the show will be on hand. The red Ferrari and “Island Hoppers” van will be parked in front of the first floor of the parking structure. The first 5,000 fans receive a set of trading cards featuring cast members.
