Finally… after far too many years featuring superb players and powerful teams falling just short, the University of Hawai`i men’s volleyball team emphatically claimed the NCAA volleyball title on May 8. UH ran roughshod through UC-Santa Barbara (3-0) and BYU (3-0) to claim the hardware many observers thought would be theirs in 2020.
Ah yes, 2020… the year that wasn’t. It looked like Hawai`i and BYU (interchangeably ranked #1 and #2 weekly) were heading toward a probable NCAA tournament showdown before being rudely interrupted by COVID-19 and the season’s cancelation just after the teams split matches here in early March.
But the UH players hung in there; hung in here. The stench of losing the 2019 championship match at Long Beach State plus the 2020 season ending prematurely spurred this bunch of ‘Bows to hang around for one more year, a chance at glory, and an opportunity for shared immortality with beloved teammates and the best volleyball fans in the world… who ironically couldn’t witness this year’s team in person due to coronavirus restrictions.
But shed no tears for tiers, as we got to behold greatness in perpetual motion- incredible digging that looked like hockey goalies making outrageous saves, serving at speeds, with spin and precision, referred to as “nails”, blocking that could have shielded us from the sun, and sharp-angled slamming that occasionally caromed into the semi-emptiness in Columbus, Ohio.
After a ridiculous forced abandonment of its earned 2002 men’s volleyball title, we now have redemption, 19-years later. After 1996 and 2019 NCAA runner-up finishes, UH owns a men’s volleyball crown. In winning, Coach Charlie Wade and players humbly acknowledged their committed stick-to-it-iveness, their love of the UH fans and each other, and other team attributes you want to hear from winners. Yes, players could have scattered, seeking professional fortune in Europe last year, but those leagues also shut down, so coming back to Manoa with COVID protocol and distance learning in play, and by-the-numbers trip requirements enforced meant keeping their eyes and arms on the elusive prize without distraction.
And they got it, so now we’ve got it! A new, national title banner will hang from the Stan Sheriff Center rafters alongside four Wahine national championship flags. UH superstars of yore- Ma’a, Allen, Briceno, Katz, Theocharidis, Thomas, Azenha, Averill, Miladinovic, Umlauft, van Tilburg; coaches Shoji, Rosehill, and Wilton- after 41-years, this one’s also for you.
Think about it…