Hawaii Men's Volleyball Looks to Clinch Top Seed Against CSUN

Rainbow Warriors can secure No. 1 spot in Big West tournament with wins over struggling Matadors

Apr. 16, 2026 at 9:34pm

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A cubist-style painting depicting a volleyball match broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in the colors of Hawaii and CSUN's uniforms, conveying the intensity and energy of the competition.Hawaii's quest for the Big West regular season title faces a test against a scrappy CSUN squad.Irvine Today

The second-ranked Hawaii men's volleyball team is looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed in next week's Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship with a pair of home matches against No. 18 Cal State Northridge. The Rainbow Warriors (24-4, 7-1) hold a one-game lead over Long Beach State in the conference standings and can secure a spot in the tournament semifinals with any win or a Long Beach State loss.

Why it matters

Hawaii has a chance to clinch the regular season title for the third time in program history, an impressive feat that would give them the top seed and home-court advantage in the Big West tournament. The Rainbow Warriors are aiming to bounce back after their eight-game winning streak was snapped in a loss at UC San Diego last weekend.

The details

Hawaii will be without a couple of key middle blockers, as Justin Todd injured his hand in warmups and Trevell Jordan hurt his knee in the opening set against UC San Diego. Setter Tread Rosenthal, who missed most of the UC San Diego match due to illness, is expected to be ready to go against CSUN. The Matadors (12-12, 0-8) have struggled in conference play but have taken both UC San Diego and Long Beach State to five sets this season.

  • Hawaii can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Big West tournament with any win this weekend or a Long Beach State loss.
  • The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is on April 26, where the 12-team field will be revealed.

The players

Tread Rosenthal

Hawaii's starting setter who missed most of the UC San Diego match due to illness but is expected to be ready for this weekend's games.

Justin Todd

Hawaii middle blocker who injured his hand in warmups and missed the UC San Diego match.

Trevell Jordan

Hawaii middle blocker who hurt his knee in the opening set against UC San Diego.

Jalen Phillips

Cal State Northridge's opposite hitter who recently surpassed 1,000 career kills and is hitting .332 this season.

Charlie Wade

Hawaii's head coach who is hoping to have Todd and Jordan back for this weekend's matches against CSUN.

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What they’re saying

“'We will address that as we get closer, certainly going into the weekend, but it's significant. We haven't had a chance to do something like this too often and certainly not going to take it for granted. We want to take care of business.'”

— Charlie Wade, Hawaii Head Coach

“'I think everyone is really pissed about that for sure. We could have done 10-0, but we didn't, but at the same time every loss is about what we can learn about that and what we can do better so that it doesn't happen again. We're going to face (teams) better than UC San Diego and we need to win against them.'”

— Louis Sakanoko, Hawaii Junior Outside Hitter

What’s next

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show on April 26 will reveal the 12-team field for the NCAA Tournament, including the five at-large bids.

The takeaway

Hawaii has a chance to clinch the Big West regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, an impressive accomplishment that would give them home-court advantage as they look to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Rainbow Warriors will need to overcome some key injuries to their middle blockers to get the job done.