No. 19 Penn State men’s volleyball (5-12, 2-2 EIVA) was swept by No. 3 Hawaii (18-1) in its second game of the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday morning.
After being swept in its first game of the tournament, the Nittany Lions were dominated in the first set, but played a very competitive second set. However, they could not capitalize on their opportunities to win the set, and this led to a dominating third set victory for the Rainbow Warriors. With Penn State losing its 12th game of the season, it now has more losses than in the last two seasons combined.
How It Happened
Penn State won the first point of the first set on a kill by Michael Schwob before Hawaii got on the board with a kill of its own. This kill gave the Rainbow Warriors momentum as they went on to win five consecutive points to take an early 6-1 lead. This forced Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik in hopes of cooling off Hawaii’s momentum.
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Out of the timeout, the Rainbow Warriors extended their run to seven before Will Kuhns’s kill on the next point ended it. Both teams exchanged points before Kurt Nusterer’s attack error decreased the deficit for the Nittany Lions to four. However, Hawaii continued to seize its momentum and went on a 5-0 run to take extend its lead to nine and forced Penn State to take another timeout.
Both teams traded blows for the next four points after the timeout. A media timeout occurred right after as Hawaii held a 15-6 lead. After Hawaii’s Louis Sakanoko recorded a service error out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions could not stop the bleeding as the Rainbow Warriors won four consecutive points to increase their lead to double-digits.
After Penn State won back-to-back points, Hawaii returned the favor to take a 21-9 lead. Both teams went back and forth for the next four points before the Nittany Lions won consecutive points to trim their deficit to 10. On the next point, Kuhns committed a service error to give the Rainbow Warriors set point and they converted on their first opportunity as Justin Todd, Tread Rosenthal, and Sakanoko recorded a block assist to win the first set 25-13.
The second set got underway with Rosenthal recording a service ace for the Rainbow Warriors before Matthew Luoma’s kill got the Nittany Lions on the board. Both teams traded blows for the next four points as the deadlock stayed intact.
Hawaii recorded back-to-back kills to take a two-point lead. After Kainoa Wade recorded a service error on the next point, the Rainbow Warriors continued to dominate this match as they went on a 3-0 run to extend their lead to four.
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Both teams went back and forth for the next four points before Penn State won back-to-back points to decrease its deficit to two. This back-and-forth affair continued for the next four points as Hawaii’s lead stayed intact. However, the Nittany Lions refused to go away and responded with a 4-0 run to take their first lead of the set. They increased their lead to two by winning two of the next three points before a media timeout occurred.
After the media timeout, both teams exchanged kills for the next 10 points as Penn State’s lead stayed intact. However, the Rainbow Warriors responded by winning consecutive points to tie the set at 20. This deadlock was short-lived as the Nittany Lions regained the lead right away by recording back-to-back kills which forced Hawaii to take a timeout.
Out of the timeout, both teams exchanged points before the Rainbow Warriors won back-to-back points to tie the set at 23. This forced Pavlik to take a timeout as the set started to slip away for the Nittany Lions. Hawaii recorded a critical block assist out of the timeout to give it set point and led to Penn State to take another timeout.
Adrien Roure recorded a huge kill for the Rainbow Warriors after the timeout to win the second set 25-23.
Both teams traded blows for the first four points of the third set before Kuhns’s kill gave Penn State its first lead of the set. After Ofeck Hazan’s kill tied the set at three, the Nittany Lions won consecutive points to take a two-point lead.
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However, the Rainbow Warriors showed their resilience and went on a 3-0 run to regain the lead. After Luoma’s kill tied the set at six, Hawaii continued to seize its momentum and won back-to-back points to take an 8-6 lead. This continued to be a trend as the Rainbow Warriors won three of the next four points to extend their lead to four. This forced Penn State to take a timeout.
The Nittany Lions could not stop the bleeding as Hawaii won four consecutive points after the timeout. This allowed it to increase its lead to eight and led to a media timeout as things started to get ugly for it.
Out of the media timeout, the Rainbow Warriors extended its run to seven before an attack error by Hazan ended this run. Both teams exchanged the next four points before another kill by Roure gave Hawaii a 21-10 lead and forced Pavlik to take a timeout.
Out of the timeout, both teams traded blows for the next four points before a kill by Rosenthal gave the Rainbow Warriors match point. Hawaii was able to capitalize on this opportunity as Kuhns recorded an attack error that allowed it to finish off the third set 25-12.
Takeaways
The Nittany Lions will rue not converting on their chances to win the second set. After being two points away from winning the set, they were not able to win another point after as they allowed the Rainbow Warriors to go on a 4-0 to finish off the second set. This was a huge crusher for Penn State as Hawaii went on to dominate the third set right after.
Hitting percentage continues to be a huge struggle for Penn State as it had a hitting percentage of .049 compared to Hawaii’s .397. Also, Penn State had 11 more attack errors and 14 less kills than Hawaii.
Hawaii’s duo of Adrien Roure and Louis Sakanoko were the catalysts in this sweep as they combined for 24 of the team’s 39 kills. They were very efficient as well as they only committed three errors on 39 total attacks.
What’s Next?
Penn State will look to avoid going winless in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational when it faces No. 12 Ball State at 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, in its final game of the tournament.
Fernando is a junior who is majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in Spanish and Sports Studies. Born in Mexico City and now lives in Paoli, PA, he is a big fan of pretty much every sport. His favorite teams are FC Barcelona, the Cowboys, and the Phillies which involves a lot of suffering for him. You can follow him on Instagram at fernando9015 or email him at [email protected] if you have questions on why he is a Cowboys and Phillies fan.
UH kicker Kansei Matsuzawa reacted after making a game-winning field goal to beat the Stanford Cardinal at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in the Warriors’ opener on Aug. 23.
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Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa today became the University of Hawaii football program’s first consensus All-American.
Matsuzawa, 26, earned the distinction after being selected today to the American Football Coaches Association’s All-America first team.
The NCAA recognizes five All-America teams. A “consensus” All-American is selected to three of those organizations’ first teams. Matsuzawa previously was named to the All-America first teams by the Walter Camp Foundation and the Associated Press. The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America will announce their All-America teams this week.
“This is a result of my teammates and coaches,” Matsuzawa said, noting without them “I couldn’t have done this. I appreciate my family, and the state of Hawaii and Japan.”
Matsuzawa is a self-taught kicker from Chiba, Japan. The school-promoted “Tokyo Toe” converted his first 25 field-goal attempts this season to tie an FBS record for best start. The streak ended when he was wide right on a 30-yard attempt in the fourth quarter of the regular-season finale against Wyoming.
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Last week, UH special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield declared Matsuzawa as “the best kicker in the country. And I’ll stand on the tallest mountain and scream it from the tallest mountain until the cows come home.”
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The Rainbow Warriors will play Cal in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at the Ching Complex.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii-based company was in the national spotlight this weekend for its sweet service.
The Maui Cookie Lady was featured on Good Morning America as part of a segment highlighting the best holiday cookies to order online.
The Makawao-based bakery made the list, curated by Bon Appétit and Epicurious editor-in-chief Jamila Robinson, alongside other standout cookie companies from across the country that can deliver delicious treats straight to your doorstep.
The Maui Cookie Lady was founded by Mitzi Toro in 2012 as a thank you to Maui nurses who cared for Toro’s ill father.
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Known for colossal-sized cookies in imaginative flavors, the company quickly became a favorite, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Ludacris among its many fans.
“I’m still taking it in,” said Toro. “I’m proud of our team and grateful for the support that has carried us from our island kitchen to a national audience. I hope this moment reminds people how special our Maui community truly is.”
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Radar shows heavy rain over Oahu and Kauai County earlier today.
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Periods of heavy rain and hazardous ocean conditions continued today across parts of Hawaii, with the greatest flood risk focused on Kauai and Niihau as wet weather lingers into midweek.
The National Weather Service said a lingering weather system west of the islands is continuing to pull warm, moisture-heavy air northward, keeping showers in the forecast through at least early Tuesday. Some areas of Kauai and Oahu picked up another 1 to 2 inches of rain overnight, adding to already saturated ground from the weekend.
Forecasters said the flood watch remains in effect through late tonight for Kauai, Niihau and Oahu as even moderate rainfall could quickly turn into runoff. Flooding is most likely in low-lying areas, along streams and on roads that typically collect water.
While rainfall may be lighter than Sunday’s downpours, forecasters warned that slow-moving showers could linger over the same areas, raising the risk of flooding for streets and streams. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible, mainly over Kauai and Oahu, through early Tuesday.
Looking ahead, the flooding threat is expected to ease for Oahu by early Tuesday, but Kauai and Niihau could remain at risk through the middle of the week. Another cold front approaching from the northwest is forecast to stall near those islands, keeping skies mostly cloudy with periods of rain. Officials said flood watches may need to be extended for the western islands if conditions worsen.
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Conditions should gradually improve late in the week, with fewer showers expected by Thursday and Friday. Tradewinds are forecast to return over the weekend, bringing drier air and more typical weather heading into the holiday week.
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At the same time, dangerous surf remains a concern statewide. A large north-northwest swell is producing advisory-level waves along north- and west-facing shores. Surf heights of 15 to 20 feet along north-facing shores and 10 to 14 feet along west-facing shores are expected to continue through this evening for Niihau, Kauai and Oahu, before slowly easing.
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High surf advisories remain in effect into early Tuesday for Molokai, Maui and parts of Hawaii island, where an earlier warning was downgraded as surf heights came in lower than expected. Ocean safety officials continue to urge the public to stay out of the water if conditions appear unsafe.
Marine conditions are also rough, with a small craft advisory in effect through 6 p.m. today for waters around Kauai and Oahu. Seas of 7 to 10 feet are making conditions hazardous for smaller boats, especially for inexperienced mariners.
Residents and visitors are urged to monitor forecasts closely, avoid flooded roads and heed all ocean and marine advisories.
