UH Men’s Volleyball Team Will Win First Ever NCAA Championship Title
After capturing their first ever Big West Tournament title, it is inevitable that the No. 1 University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team will go on to claim the NCAA Championship title this year.
The third time is a charm after the UH men’s volleyball team defeated the NCAA and Big West defending champion, Long Beach State, in five sets last weekend. The Rainbow Warriors have proven to put up a hard fight as they fell to the Beach twice earlier this season for their only two losses of the year. Following the impressive win, the Warriors earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and they will carry their momentum into the championship for their sixth NCAA appearance that will take place next week.
The UH men’s volleyball team has proven their ability to win the championship multiple times throughout the season as they own a perfect 17–0 at home record and an impressive 8–2 conference record. As a team, the Warriors lead the conference in six different categories including: kills per set (13.60), hitting percentage (.404), and assists per set (13.00). With 2.65 blocks per set and 14.21 kills per set, the Warriors lead the nation in these respective categories.
Senior outside hitter Stijn van Tilburg has led the Warriors’ efforts this season as he ranks second in the nation in hitting percentage with .905 and sits at tenth in the nation in kills per set (3.92). Van Tilburg continues to shine on the court as he has been named to the first-team all-conference selection for the past three years.
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Junior opposite Rado Parapunov has also been a key component for the Warriors this year as he has recorded 5.14 points per set, which is good for fifth in the nation and he ranks seventh in the nation in kills per set with 4.14 (356 total kills). Parapunov collected the Big West Player of the Week five times this season for his notable performances on the court.
To add to the accolades, Parapunov received Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week honors twice this season while van Tilburg followed suit as he also earned the honor after his impressive performance during the Big West Championship. The awards received were the most of any other team this year and the first time since 2002 UH has had three AVCA Player of the Week awards in a single season. Both Warriors were also named to the Big West Conference All-Big West First Team along with three other team members.
After looking at just some of the many remarkable numbers the Rainbow Warriors have shown this season, it is obvious that no other team will beat the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team in the NCAA tournament. Along with van Tilburg and Parapunov, the Warriors’ talented roster holds the power to take down anyone that comes their way in the championship in order to bring the prized trophy home to the islands for the first time in history.
