May Madness: UH Mānoa Volleyball Faces No. 1 Ohio State in Final Four Semi

Extending their season with a gutty rally against Penn State, the Warriors are closing in on UH’s first national title in any sport since 2002’s vacated crown. Listen in on Thursday, May 4 at 2 p.m. on ESPN 1420.

Photo: Courtesy of UH Mānoa Athletics

A stirring comeback from the brink of elimination against Penn State has put the UH Mānoa men’s volleyball team two games away from a national championship. Adapting on the fly with a freshman substitution, coach Charlie Wade’s Warriors clawed back from a 17-25 third set to tie the match, 25-14. The counterpunch flattened the Nittany Lions, which turned into little kittens in the tie-breaker, falling 15-4.

Now the Warriors face the nation’s No. 1 team in Ohio State, playing in Columbus, Ohio at 2 p.m. Hawai‘i time (8 p.m. Central). The match will be broadcast starting at 1:50 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 by ESPN 1420, with Tiff Wells doing the play-by-play. It also will be live-streamed on ncaa.com, along with the earlier faceoff between Long Beach State and BYU.

In the Mountain Pacific Sports Association tournament, UH beat BYU only to lose to the 49ers in the title game—which was played on Long Beach State’s home court. Should the Warriors roll into the national title match, it will be an all-MPSA final. That match, scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. Hawai‘i time, will be televised on ESPNU and live-streamed again on ncaa.com.

This article appears in the May 2017 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.