ESPN Honolulu Rainbow Wahine play-by-play voice Tiff Wells with his six biggest takeaways from the previous week for the Bows
1 – Mānoa Magic Strikes Again. Two separate times in Friday’s match Hawai`i led Harvard by a set. Both times the unranked (but receiving votes in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll) Crimson came back to the tie the match as UH couldn’t sustain late leads (Set 2, led 21-18; Set 4, led 19-17). To a fifth set they went where UH briefly took leads of 3-2 and 7-6. Harvard led 8-7 at the turn and then had three, three-point leads (11-8, 12-9 and 14-11). Coming into the match UH was 17-0 against EIVA league members not named Penn State. Could Harvard pull off the massive road upset? Sometimes, the hardest point in set is the last one, even in a set to 15. A kill from Justin Todd kept UH alive at 14-12. With Kristian Titriyski struggling from the service line (6 errors in 19 total serves), Head Coach Charlie Wade made a crucial substitution as he brought in freshman Finn Kearney to serve. Kearney had played earlier in the match so he wasn’t completely cold coming in off the bench. Kept his first serve in play that resulted in a free ball opportunity for UH to convert for a kill. At 14-13, Harvard called for time to try and ice Kearney. It didn’t work as another tough serve resulted in a Todd/Tread Rosenthal block to send the set into extra time. A Crimson hitting error gave UH match point at 15-14. Yet another tough serve from the lefty forced an attack from Harvard’s setter on the second contact and waiting on the other side was redshirt freshman Justin Todd for the solo block. A 5-0 scoring run to close the match kept UH unbeaten…somehow, at 4-0. A season-high crowd of 4,876 experienced all sorts of emotions and stayed in house throughout the entire three-hour, eight-minute match. While it’s only January, that type of come-from-behind match can instill confidence in a young group.
2 – Second Night Titriyski…Again. Freshman opposite Kristian Titriyski wasn’t feeling 100% in the season opener against No. 20 McKendree last week Friday. Six hitting errors on 20 swings in two sets led him to watching from the sidelines in the third set. Two nights later, he bounced back for a match-high 17 kills. Different opponent in week two, same set of circumstances. The first match struggles continued as a first set line of 2-2-7 led to him to him spectating for the rest of the night. With a day in between matches, the Sofia, Bulgaria native made the necessary adjustments. Another match where he was the match leader in kills, UH needed all 18 of them to survive Harvard in that five-set marathon. While he was in on six blocks, none was bigger than the solo stuff he had to get UH to within one point at 12-11 as it also got the crowd involved. While he did have six of UH’s 22 service errors, he also added four more aces to his ledger. After being subbed out at 12-14 in the fifth and as UH made and completed the comeback, the biggest cheerleader of them all was…Titriyski. Entering week three against Princeton, perhaps this is the series where the Bulgarian can string together two solid and efficient matches.
3 – A Green & White Block Party. Despite the two top 20 wins against McKendree, the two glaring parts of UH’s game to work on was serving efficiency and blocking. Losing the block category in match one (8.5 to 7.5) and then matching their output at 4.5, UH came into week two against the Crimson with a goal to get more stuff blocks and touches at the net. Freshman Ofeck Hazan made his presence felt with a team-high six blocks. With Rosenthal right behind him with five, UH recorded a season-high 11.5 blocks in the three-set sweep, outblocking the Crimson 11.5 to 3. On night two, UH dominated the blocking category again, this time at 15.5 to 5.5. In that fifth set alone, UH had as many blocks (5.5) as Harvard had for the entire match. And with Hazan out for the match (non-Covid illness), others stepped up. Kurt Nusterer and Titryiski each had six blocks, while Todd registered five and Rosenthal added four. With school still out for the winter break, the Mānoa Roofing Company didn’t take either match off during Week Two of the season.
4 – So Help Me Todd. A Fab 50 recruit coming out of high school, fans around the state got numerous chances to see Justin Todd perform in his one year at Moanalua. Leading the state in kills while playing on the outside, he then redshirted his first year with UH. Seeing two others from Moanalua’s “Big Three” leave the team after the 2024 season, a change in position was in order for Todd due to the influx of pin hitters in the 2025 recruiting class. Standing at 6”8” and jump-touching nearly 12’0,” a move into the middle proved to be the quickest way to get him on the floor. Getting more comfortable in the middle, night two against Harvard showcased yet again the depth UH has. With usual starter Ofeck Hazan unavailable, Todd earned his first career start. His only kill in the fifth set (he had four for the match) kept UH alive in the match at 14-12. A big presence at the net, Todd co-led the blocking effort with six stuff blocks, including a great read on the Harvard setter at 15-14 when he tried to attack on the second touch. Todd was there, went up with the setter and blocked the attack to complete UH’s comeback.
5 – A Night To Remember For Wade. A two-time state player of the year and an HHSAA Division I State Champion as a Junior after his 34 kill, 11 dig performance for Kamehameha’s 11th state championship and first since 2011, Kainoa Wade was ready to take the next step. He had been to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center many a time. Whether it was as a ball boy or floor wiper, he dreamed (as many local kids do) of one day wearing the green and white and playing at home. The debut was delayed by a week because of NCAA paperwork and with him cleared hours before the start of the Harvard series, he was ready to go if needed. With starting opposite Kristian Titriyski struggling in Set 1 (2-2-7), a lateral move was made and Wade made his debut. With dad and older brother on the sideline and mom in the arena as well, it was a night to remember. Eight kills on 15 errorless swings for an efficient .533 hitting night. Parlayed with a dig and two blocks while getting all four of his serves in, Wade just adds to depth UH has on both pins.
6 – Not The Typical Freshmen Class. Eight true freshmen, one of the largest recruiting classes UH has ever had. From All-League performers to a state champion to starters on their Junior National teams, the UH coaching staff has scoured the globe to bring in elite talent. A total of 11 newcomers have joined #WarriorBall25 and while the last few years have seen a mostly upperclassmen starting lineup, three true freshmen (Adrien Roure, Hazan & Titryiski) have begun each match this season. Add Justin Todd to the mix and it’s quite a young group in the starting 7. In some rotations, only one upperclassman (`Eleu Choy) is on the floor. While there are some growing pains (service errors, untimely hitting errors), they have minimized the valleys and maximized the peaks en route to this 4-0 start to this season. The youth movement has invaded this roster and all 19 players on the roster have bought in. With so many lineup changes and hitter/passer combinations put on the floor over these first two weeks, the team is still hitting .402 for the early season. The keiki are still figuring out this college game on the fly as they look to put together a complete two-match series together against Princeton ahead of their trip to BYU.