COLUMBUS, Ohio >> Somewhere between Woody Hayes Drive and Undisputed Way fourth-seeded Hawaii lost its game. The one that had carried the Rainbow Warriors into their first NCAA men’s volleyball tournament semifinal since 2002, one that had racked up 27 victories, which tied a program record set by the 1996 national runners-up.
It was there on Thursday night, in the shadows of Ohio Stadium, that fourth-seeded Hawaii’s season came to an all-too-quick end at St. John Arena. Host and top-seeded Ohio State used its home-court advantage to the max, with the majority of the season-high 4,834 comprised of “Buckeye Nation” inside the venerable arena cheering on their defending national champions.
It took just 88 minutes, an 11-1 domination in blocks against the top blocking team in the country, and five blistering aces by Nicolas Szerszen for Ohio State to send Hawaii back home, five time zones, 4,510 miles and an ocean away. Szerszen, last season’s national player of the year, added a team-high 10 kills to lead the Buckeyes to a 25-23, 25-18, 25-19 sweep of the Warriors (27-6), the fourth time Hawaii lost in straight sets this year.
Ohio State (31-2) will face third-seeded Brigham Young on Saturday, a rematch of last season’s championship showdown won by the Buckeyes 3-0. The Cougars (26-5) upset second-seeded Long Beach State 25-20, 25-18, 25-23 in Thursday’s first semifinal.
Ohio State is seeking to extend the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association’s national title streak to four, adding to the two won by Loyola Chicago (2014-15) and its own in 2016. The Buckeyes also are looking to become the second tournament hosts to win on their own floor in four years; the Ramblers did it in Chicago in 2014.
As for the Warriors, they return three starters and second-team All-America libero Tui Tuileta off a team that was picked sixth in the coaches preseason poll, Hawaii’s last season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Next year, UH joins Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and associate member UC San Diego in the Big West, the first non-hybrid conference to sponsor men’s volleyball.
“We had a great year,” said an emotional Hawaii coach Charlie Wade at the postgame press conference. “We lost to the No. 1 Team in the AVCA coaches poll (Long Beach State three times), the No. 1 team in the RPI (BYU twice) and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (Ohio State). All of those were on the road.
“Tonight, we played a really good team that played really good at home.”
The final outcome may not have hinged on a controversial call that ended Set 1, but had the video replay challenge system been in use, it might have changed the way the first set finished. At 24-23, it appeared that Szerszen was blocked and that the ball landed on the Ohio State side of the court. There also was a question as to whether there was a double contact on the Buckeyes, something the down ref called but that was overruled, giving the set to Ohio State 25-23.
“That and the way the officiating has gone over the last couple of weeks is a very compelling argument for replay challenge,” Wade said. “It’s about getting the call right and doing justice to the athletes.”
The Buckeyes took that 1-0 lead and ran with it, running away from an 8-8 tie behind Szerszen’s impressive serves. At 9-8, the French national camped out on the service line and stayed there through three consecutive aces, both of Hawaii’s timeouts, another ace and one of Ohio State’s four blocks of the set.
It was 15-9 before a kill by Hawaii sophomore opposite Stijn van Tilburg stopped the bleeding, but the hole was too deep. The Warriors never got closer than 22-17, with the Buckeyes closing it out on a 3-1 spurt, capped by a kill from Miles Johnson.
Unlike Tuesday, when Hawaii staged an improbable comeback, down 2-1 to Penn State in the play-in match, to win in five, the Warriors didn’t have enough to push it to at least four. Half of Hawaii’ 14 service errors came in Set 3, killing any momentum and hope, and the Warriors’ deficit went from 7-5 to 17-10 in a blink of an eye.
Hawaii’s lone ace came from senior setter Jennings Franciskovic to close to 18-14, but “Buckeye Nation” was primed to sing the alma mater “Carmen Ohio” and Ohio State didn’t disappoint. Szerszen finished it with his 10th kill on his 22nd swing with just one error.
Van Tilburg had a match-high 13 kills and senior hitter Kupono Fey added nine, but Ohio State’s balance and block was just too much. Not even the gutsy performance by senior middle Hendrik Mol — his sprained right ankle not fully healed from the Aprill 22 injury — could carry Hawaii.
“Hendrik is a Warrior,” Franciskovic said. “I have never seen a guy through so much, battle back from an eye injury and sprained ankle because he wanted to play. It shows the mental side of his game.
“I’m not going to look at this match in any negative way. I’ll focus on us making the final four, the way we came back against Penn State. This experience I’ll take with me forever.”
BYU 3, Long Beach State 0
The Cougars advanced to their third title match in five years with a surprising sweep of the top-ranked 49ers. Brenden Sander had 15 kills and Tim Dobbert 11 for BYU, which rallied from down 19-14 in Set 3 for the 89-minute victory.
TJ DeFalco, named the national player of the year on Wednesday, had 12 kills, as did Kyle Ensing for the 49ers (27-4).
Key to BYU’s success was the serving of freshman Wil Stanley (Punahou), a reserve setter.
“Willie does a great job every time he goes back there,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said of the younger brother of former Warrior and Olympian Clay Stanley. “He’s got some swagger, is very confident going back and serving. He’s battled through a nagging injury, but he’s played a big role in many matches this season.”
Note
Sophomores Brett Rosenmeier and Colton Cowell (King Kekaulike) will represent Hawaii at the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships next Thursday through Saturday in Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Rosenmeier and Cowell are one of eight men’s pairs competing in the event. The event is part of the Team USA Summer Champions Series and will serve as a Team USA Trials, garnering a spot to the top women’s and men’s pair for a USA Volleyball collegiate beach national team.
