Hawaii, with Bulgarian international Kristian Titriyski, won the Big West title, but the anticipated "Bulgarian derby" in the final did not take place!
The University of Hawaii team, which includes Bulgarian international Kristian Titriyski, triumphed with the Big West conference title in the USA! In the final clash, played this morning Bulgarian time at SimpliFi Arena in Stan Sheriff Center, Hawaii prevailed over the national rankings leader and the team with four Bulgarians, Long Beach State, with a score of 3:1 (25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22).
Unfortunately, the anticipated direct "Bulgarian derby" on the court in the final did not take place, as Bulgarian international Kristian Titriyski was unable to participate in the match due to injury. Nevertheless, he is part of Hawaii's championship team.
The final still offered a strong Bulgarian presence from Long Beach State, whose squad included Moni Nikolov, Alex Kadev, and Georgi Binev.
The title won is Hawaii's fourth in the history of the Big West Championship and secures the "Rainbow Warriors" an automatic bid to the NCAA National Collegiate Championship.
For the champions from Hawaii, the tournament MVP was freshman Adrian Ruegg, who finished with 11 error-free attack points with high efficiency. Setter Tread Rosenthal recorded 42 assists and ended the match with an attack point. Louis Sakanoko distinguished himself with 4 aces, including two consecutive for the championship point.
For the Long Beach State team, the top scorer was Nate Z Dickinson with 21 points.
Bulgarian setter Moni Nikolov finished the match with 47 assists and 13 points (2 blocks, 4 aces). He also managed to break his streak without aces against Hawaii, recording four consecutive aces in the third set. Alex Kadev scored 16 points (1 ace, 3 blocks).
Despite their strong performance throughout the season and in the final, Long Beach State (with a final record of 27-3) will have to wait for the announcement of the NCAA tournament bracket for a possible inclusion with a "wild card."
The draw for the NCAA National Collegiate Volleyball Championship will be held today, Sunday, April 27, at 10:00 PM Bulgarian time and will be broadcast live onncaa.com.
