Posted with permission, article and pictures, courtesy of University of Hawaii Manoa
The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team battled its way back for a chance to defend its national championship after a thrilling, come-from-behind, five-set victory over Ball State in the NCAA Championship semifinals on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. Hawai’i found themselves down 2-1 before mounting a furious comeback to defeat the MIVA champions, 28-26, 19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11.
With the win, the Rainbow Warriors (26-5) punched their ticket to their third consecutive NCAA Championship match while also avenging two losses to the Cardinals in January in Muncie, Ind. UH played those matches without starters Jakob Thelle, Guilherme Voss, and Chaz Galloway. Hawai’i will meet top-seeded Long Beach State in the title match, Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT (2:00 p.m. HT).
