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The national championship for Hawai’i was years in the making.
Check out some of the moments from the last five years that led to the Rainbow Warriors winning the NCAA championship.
Nov. 15, 2016: Hawai’i signs highly touted high school libero Worsley
Hawai’i announced that high school senior Gage Worsley, the younger brother of the team’s setter Joe Worsley, has committed to play for the Rainbow Warriors beginning in 2018.
Jan. 22, 2017: Hawai’i beats UC Irvine in road trip finale
No. 5/4 Hawai’i defeated No. 6/6 UC Irvine 26-16, 25-23, 15-25, 25-23 in Irvine, California, for its first conference victory of the season.
April 8, 2017: Hawai’i ends road woes to earn postseason home match
No. 4/4 defeated No. 6/6 UCLA 26-28, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 at the John Wooden Center to clinch a home match for the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
April 21, 2017: Hawai’i knocks off BYU in MPSF Tournament
No. 4/4 Hawai’i swept No. 3/3 BYU in the MPSF Tournament semifinals to help improve its chances at a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
April 23, 2017: Hawai’i earns at-large bid to NCAA Tournament
Hawai’i received the final at-large bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and was placed in the play-in match against Penn State.
May 2, 2017: Hawai’i smashes Penn State in fifth game to reach NCAA semifinals
Hawai’i had zero attack errors and held Penn State to a negative attack percentage in the decisive game as they beat the Nittany Lions 23-25, 27-25, 17-25, 25-14, 15-4 in the NCAA Tournament play-in match.
May 4, 2017: Hawai’i loses to Ohio State in NCAA semifinals
Ohio State outside attacker Nicolas Szerszen tied a NCAA Tournament record during the 25-point rally scoring era with five aces as the No. 1 seed Ohio State swept the No. 4 seed Hawai’i 25-23, 25-18, 25-19 in the semifinals.
Jan. 14, 2018: Hawai’i sweeps Grand Canyon at Grow the Game Challenge
No. 4 Hawai’i swept No. 13 Grand Canyon to go undefeated at the inaugural Off the Block Grow the Game Challenge in Nashville — the first college men’s volleyball event played in the city.
April 15, 2018: Hawai’i puts end to Long Beach perfect season
Long Beach State suffered its first loss of the season and an end to its program-record 24-match winning streak as it lost to No. 6/6 Hawai’i 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11 on Saturday.
April 24, 2018: Selection stunner: Hawai’i misses out on at-large bid
Despite Hawai’i beating UC Irvine in the conference tournament, the selection committee selected the Anteaters instead of the Rainbow Warriors for the final berth to the NCAA Tournament.
March 2, 2019: No. 2/2 Hawai’i overwhelms No. 3/3 UC Irvine in sweep
Setter Joe Worsley guided No. 2/2 Hawai’i to a .529 attack percentage as it beat No. 3/3 UC Irvine 25-13, 25-22, 25-20 in Irvine, California, to complete the two-match series sweep.
March 24, 2019: Hawai’i blows through BYU for 20th consecutive sweep
Middle attacker Patrick Gasman had 10 kills on a .909 attack percentage and a match-high five blocks as Hawai’i swept No. 7/8 BYU 25-20, 25-20, 25-14 to win the BYU Invitational.
April 21, 2019: Hawai’i earns to seed for NCAA Tournament
Hawai’i hours after beating Long Beach State to win the Big West championship earned the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
May 3, 2019: Hawai’i puts away pesky Lewis to reach NCAA finals
Middle attacker Patrick Gasman finished with a match-high eight blocks along with eight kills on a .583 attack percentage as Hawai’i swept Lewis 25-15, 25-17, 30-32, 25-16 in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
May 3, 2019: Hawai’i loses to Hawai’i in the NCAA Tournament finals
Outside attacker TJ DeFalco had a match-high 20 kills on a .516 attack percentage as the No 2 seed Long Beach State defeated the No. 1 seed Hawai’i 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 on Saturday to win the NCAA championship.
Dec. 5, 2019: Hawai’i tops preseason national coaches poll
Hawai’i received all but two first-place votes to earn the No. 1 ranking in the NVA/AVCA preseason national coaches poll.
March 6, 2020: Fernandez leads BYU to historic sweep of Hawai’i
Opposite Gabi Garcia Fernandez finished with both a match-high eight aces and 13 kills on a .688 attack percentage as No. 2/1 BYU swept No. 1/2 Hawaii 25-16, 25-17, 25-20.
March 7, 2020: Big offensive surge leads Hawai’i to comeback win vs. BYU
The All-American opposite Rado Parapunov had a season-high 30 kills on a .440 attack percentage as Hawai’i rallied from a two-game deficit to beat No. 1/2 BYU 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-17 in front of a sold-out home crowd.
March 13, 2020: Hawai’i seniors, cut react to season cut short
Hawai’i players and coaches conducted a news conference following the Big West and NCAA decision to cancel the remainder of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
May 8, 2020: Hawai’i seniors utilize extra year of eligibility, returning for 2021 season
All-American outside attacker Colton Cowell, All-American Patrick Gasman and All-American opposite Rado Parapunov all opted to use their extra year of eligibility and return to the Rainbow Warriors.
Feb. 11, 2021: No. 2/1 Hawai’i is coaches pick to win Big West in 2021
Hawai’i was the unanimous favorite to repeat as Big West champions in the preseason coaches poll.
March 11, 2021: Gasman career performance powers No. 1/1 Hawai’i to comeback win vs. No. 3/2 UCSB
Gasman had a match-high nine blocks along with a career-high 14 kills as the Rainbow Warriors rebounded from a nine-point opening game loss to beat the Gauchos 16-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-20.
March 13, 2021: Parapunov powers No. 1/1 Hawai’i to complete series sweep of No. 3/2 UCSB
Opposite Rado Parapunov led all players with both a season-high four aces and 20 kills on a .438 attack percentage as No. 1/1 Hawai’i defeated No. 3/2 UC Santa Barbara 25-22, 25-19, 26-24 to complete the three-match series sweep.
April 25, 2021: Hawai’i earns at-large bid, No. 1 seed to NCAA Tournament
Despite suffering its first loss of the season in the conference, Hawai’i received an at-large bid and the No. 1 overall seed to the NCAA Tournament.
May 6, 2021: Hawai’i block too much for UCSB in NCAA semifinals
The No. 1 seed Hawai’i had 13.5 blocks as it swept the No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara 25-21, 25-18, 25-23 in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
May 8, 2021: Hawai’i earns at-large bid, No. 1 seed to NCAA Tournament
Hawai’i had 10 aces and a .381 attack percentage as it swept BYU 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 in the NCAA Tournament finals on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.