UH men’s volleyball heads to Irvine with different team
Hawaii is down a player from its last matchup, while Irvine is up a player. The University of Hawaii men's volleyball team is set to face No. 5 UC Irvine in a crucial Big West road match on Friday and Saturday. The teams had previously met on March 10 in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational de facto championship match. For Hawaii, this match was the last time senior Spyros Chakas played for the team, with Chakas having surgery and focusing on a professional career. Meanwhile, Irvine's Will D'Arcy was not available to play due to injury. Hawaii, currently ranked 20-4 overall, 3-3 in Big West matches, and is currently in third place in the conference standings.
Published : 4 weeks ago by KHON2 in Sports
The No. 4 University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team will take on No. 5 UC Irvine for a pair of crucial Big West road matches on Friday and Saturday. First serve for both matches is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Rainbow Warriors and Anteaters previously met on March 10, a five-set victory for UH in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational de facto championship match, but both squads will look markedly different come Friday.
For Hawaii, March 10 was the final time Spyros Chakas played for the Rainbow Warriors. The star senior injured his left knee on match point and has since had surgery, remaining with the team while shifting his focus towards a professional career.
Meanwhile, Irvine opposite Will D’Arcy was not available to play against UH after racking up 19 kills against Grand Canyon and 17 against Lewis in prior matches. Since then, he’s averaged nine per match as he works his way back.
Hawaii enters the series 20-4 overall, including 3-3 in Big West matches, sitting at third place in the conference standings. Irvine is in second at 5-1 in conference matches and 16-7 overall.
UH head coach Charlie Wade understands the ‘Bows are vulnerable without Chakas, as evidenced by their home loss to Cal State Northridge on March 23. But that doesn’t mean his team will back down.
“We like to win and you can’t really take it for granted. It comes from a lot of hard work,” Wade said. “There’s also the part, too, where we’ve kind of been slapping people around for a while and now they look at us as a chance to to get a win against what’s been the most successful program in the country.
“It’s a big challenge, but the guys got a lot of pride in defending the reputation that we’ve built. I think it’ll make for some really interesting volleyball here over the next month.”