HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (9-17) are ready for The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Championships. Their first match will be Thursday, April 18 at 10 p.m. PT as they take on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawai'i at Simplifi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. The last time these two teams faced each other was just a few short weeks ago when Hawai'i defeated the Gauchos in five sets.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos played two matches against the CSUN Matadors to wrap up regular season play. Even though UC Santa Barbara secured the four-set win at home in The Thunderdome, the Matadors came back for revenge on Saturday night. With that, the two teams split the series, each winning a four-set match on their home courts.
 
WRANGLING THE WARRIORS
Hawai'i is coming into The Big West Championships on a loss as UC San Diego took them down at LionTree Arena in La Jolla. Prior to that, the Rainbow Warriors split their series with UC Irvine and got two wins over the Gauchos.
 
This is one of the best offensive teams in the country, and that shows in the national rankings. They are second when it comes to aces, averaging 2.07 per set, while they are third in hitting percentage, coming in at a .352 clip.
 
Alaka'i Todd has stepped up big for the Rainbow Warriors since Spyros Chakas went down with an injury. He now leads the team in kills with 290 on the year. He is assisted by freshman Tread Rosenthal, who is the team's primary setter. He has racked up 945 assists across the season.
 
On defense, 'Elei Choy has been the biggest contributor. He has 185 on the season, with Rosenthal being the next closest with 136.
 
WHEREABOUTS
This quarterfinal match will take place in the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday, April 18 at 10 p.m. PT. For those who can't make it to Honolulu to watch the match, they can follow along through ESPN+.