Heavyweight Matchup in Hawai'i
- Louise Perez
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
The new year begins with a clash of titans as No.2 Hawai’i takes on No.7 Loyola-Chicago. The national powerhouses are scheduled to play a match in Honolulu on January 8th, as the Ramblers open their season.
Championship Contenders
Last year, both teams ended their respective seasons with losses in the NCAA tournament, Hawai’i falling to UCLA in the semis and Loyola-Chicago to Pepperdine in the quarters. With the tournament expanding its placements from 9 to 12 teams in 2026, the upcoming match between Hawai’i and Loyola-Chicago becomes a potential early season NCAA Championship preview.
MIVA Front Runners
In this season's predictions, MIVA names Loyola-Chicago as the #1 favorite to win the conference crown, earning 73 points in the preseason polls. With a roster full of veteran talent and key players such as JJ Sowa and Ryan McElligott, this comes as no surprise. The biggest question for the Ramblers will be how do they divvy up the offensive load that used to run through All American opposite Parker Van Buren.
Hawaiian Expectations
For the Rainbow Warriors they were selected as the pre-season #2 team in the Big West behind conference foe Long Beach State. In the National AVCA poll Hawai’i comes in ahead of Long Beach State as the #2 team behind only the MPSF conferences UCLA. Expectations for Hawai’i could not be higher as this season comes across as “Championship or Bust”. Hawai’i is a team of young but extremely talented players led by setter Tread Rosenthal and a stable of sophomore pins: Kristian Titriyski, Adrien Roure, Louis Sakanoko and Finn Kearney.
Milan Magic
This season for the Rainbow Warriors comes with added nuance as the team will play without longtime Associate Head Coach Milan Zarkovich for the first time in 12 years. Milan was credited with much of the training and development of the Rainbow Warriors during his tenure. Zarkovich made the jump over to the mainland as the new Associate Head Coach for the pre-season #1 ranked UCLA Bruins.
Who wins the weekend?
- #2 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sweep
- Series Split
- #7 Loyola-Chicago Sweep
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