Despite the endless effort of the players and a stable performance throughout the season, the Hawaii "Rainbow Warriors" failed to reach the final of the 2025 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. In the semifinal match against UCLA, Hawaii's players couldn't cope with the strength of their opponent, losing 0-3 (25-14, 25-23, 25-23) at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The Hawaii team, led by setter Tread Rosenthal and outside hitter Alaka'i Todd, started without some of its key players, including starKupono Fey, who was out due to injury.Nevertheless, Todd continued to show consistency, finishing with 12 attack points, and Rosenthal also contributed with 19 assists. Despite the players' efforts, UCLA dominated in attack and block, achieving 6 aces and 11 blocks in the match.
The UCLA team will face top-seeded Long Beach State in the final, which will take place on Monday night. Long Beach, who overcame the semifinal hurdle by winning against Pepperdine in four sets, will be the favorite for the title.
UCLA and Long Beach State have met in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship final four times:
1970- UCLA defeats Long Beach State 3-0, winning its first title.
1991- UCLA prevails again, this time 3-2, in a dramatic match.
2018- Long Beach State defeats UCLA 3-2, winning the title on their home court.
2024- UCLA wins 3-1 in a match held at Walter Pyramid, winning their 21st title in history.
In 2022, the Bulgarian presence at the NCAA Men's Volleyball final was secured by Alex Nikolov, who played for Long Beach State. In that match, held on May 7, 2022, at Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles (UCLA), Hawaii won the title, defeating Long Beach State 3-0 (25:22, 25:21, 25:20).Despite the loss,Alex Nikolov played an impressive match, finishing with 20 attack points and 1 ace, being a key offensive factor for his team.His performance throughout the season earned him the AVCA National Player of the Year award, making him the first freshman to win this prestigious title.
Three years later, there will again be Bulgarian participation in the final – Alex's brother, Moni Nikolov, will take the court with the Long Beach team to face UCLA in an attempt for revenge for last season's title loss, when UCLA was led by USA national team selector John Speraw. This will be an exciting match that will maintain the Bulgarian presence at the highest level in collegiate volleyball.
Number of university titles:
UCLA - 19 titles
Long Beach State - 6 titles
Hawaii - 5 titles
Ohio State - 4 titles
Pepperdine - 4 titles
UC Irvine - 3 titles
Southern California - 3 titles
Stanford - 3 titles
BYU - 3 titles
Penn State- 2 titles
Loyola Chicago- 2 titles
San Diego State- 1 title
Lewis- 1 title
George Mason- 1 title
IPFW- 1 title
Ball State- 1 title
UC Santa Barbara- 1 title
Springfield, Mass.- 1 title
