The University of Hawaii will host an NCAA men’s volleyball regional, the NCAA announced today.
UH was seeded No. 2 overall, behind No. 1 UCLA and ahead of No. 3 Long Beach State. UCLA, Long Beach State and No. 4 Ball State also will be regional hosts.
The hosts will have a first-round bye in the regionals, which are set for Friday and Saturday.
Hawaii will play the winner of Southern California and Belmont Abbey on Saturday.
The Rainbow Warriors are 27-5 with a 16-3 home record and a 10-1 road record. They won the Big West regular-season title but lost in five sets to defending national champion Long Beach State in the Big West tournament final on Saturday.
UH had five chances to close out the match in the fourth set against the Beach, only to lose it 30-28. The Beach rode that momentum for a 20-25, 27-25, 22-25, 30-28, 15-11 victory in a match that featured 44 ties and lasted three hours and one minute.
The NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship expanded to 12 teams this year, up from nine in 2025.
The new format has seven automatic qualifiers and five at-large selections. The four regionals will be played Friday and Saturday. The regional winners advance to the Final Four at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on May 9 and 11.
Southern California (19-7) vs. Belmont Abbey (20-5)