Match Notes

HONOLULU – The fourth-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team, fresh off its highest ranking of the season, hosts its final homestand of the regular season against No. 14 UC San Diego, Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action. First serve for both matches is 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

Following Saturday's match, six seniors - Steven Grgas, Matt Rawson, Ric Cervantes, Ernie Vidinha, Joseph Strotman, and Justin Ching - will be honored during the traditional “Senior Night” ceremony.

 

The Warriors (15-8, 11-7 MPSF) are coming off a two-match split of No. 2 Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., last weekend. In a match-up of two of the nation's top freshmen, UH's Jonas Umlauft and Pepperdine's Maurice Torres, the Hawai'i opposite hitter fared better, averaging 6.83 kills per set on .395 hitting compared to 3.83 and .111, respectively, for Torres. Umlauft hit for 20-plus kills in each match and for his efforts was named co-MPSF Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.

 

UH's win on night two against the Waves marked the third consecutive road series in which the Warriors lost the opening match but rebounded with a victory in the rematch. Hawai'i is 9-3 since dropping back-to-back home matches to UCLA in early February, which includes a current six-match home win streak.

 

The Tritons (8-15, 4-12) split a pair of home matches last week, falling to top-ranked Stanford in three and sweeping Pacific. Six of UCSD's eight victories this season have occurred on the road, including league wins at UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, UCLA, and Pacific. Senior opposite Frank Fritsch is averaging a team-best 3.69 kills per set while outside hitters Jason Spangler and Joel Davidson average 3.17 and 3.16 kps, respectively.

 

Who: No. 4 Hawai'i (15-8, 11-7 MPSF) vs. No. 14 UC San Diego (8-15, 4-12 MPSF)

When: Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3

Time: 7:00 p.m. both nights

Where: Stan Sheriff Center; Honolulu, HI

Television Coverage: KFVE-TV (Ch. 5) will televise both matches live with Jim Leahey (play-by-play) and Sean Carney (color). Rebroadcast at 10:30 p.m. each night.

Video Streaming: Available at uhstreaming.oceanic.com

Radio Coverage: None

Audio Webcast: None

Live Stats: Available at HawaiiAthletics.com

Promotions: UH system students and members of the UH Kids' Club will receive a free upper-level ticket to Saturday's match. Fans can download a coupon for 50% off adult upper-level tickets (maximum of four) when they become a fan on UH's Facebook or Twitter pages. Members of the UH Alumni Association will receive 50% off adult upper-level tickets (maximum of eight) to both matches.

Tickets: Lower-level $11; Upper-level adult $8, Upper-level senior citizen $7; Upper-level youth (high school and under) and UH student $3; Lower-level UH Student $5.

Series vs. UC San Diego: UH leads the overall series, 39-2, including a perfect 18-0 advantage in Honolulu. The Tritons snapped UH's 39-match stranglehold of the series by sweeping the Warriors twice in San Diego last season.

 

Up Next: The Warriors take the week off from MPSF action and will host the annual alumni match, Saturday, April 10 before concluding the regular season with a two-match series at UC Santa Barbara, Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 in Santa Barbara, Calif.