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HONOLULU — French freshman Adrien Roure put down a match-high 17 kills and Lindenwood transfer Clay Wieter added 14 as the No. 4 Hawaii men’s volleyball team opened its 2025 season with a four-set victory over No. 20 McKendree.
A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,165 (5,371 tickets issued) saw the Bearcats of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association embrace the raucous environment, draw even through two sets and take a four-point lead in Set 3.
But UH, buoyed by redshirt freshman middle Justin Todd and freshman Finn Kearney, came back to take the third and finished off the 25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22 decision.
Todd, a Houston native who was one of the imported “Big Three” at Moanalua High to go to UH in 2024, is now the last of that group a year later. He recently moved to the middle and showed his explosiveness stepping in for starter Kurt Nusterer in tallying four kills on six swings and getting in on five blocks, including one solo.
Kearney, one of 11 newcomers on the 19-player roster who’d practiced at hitter in the preseason, switched back to his natural opposite position that he played for the U.S. junior national team to spell an ill Kristian Titriyski. Titriyski, a member of the Bulgarian junior national team who showcased some hard-hitting in Monday’s exhibition against British Columbia, had three aces in Set 1 but struggled at the pins with five kills against six errors. Kearney finished with seven kills and five digs.
Middle Ofeck Hazan, a member of Israel’s senior national team, supplied seven kills against one error on 10 swings.
Sophomore setter Tread Rosenthal dealt 54 assists.
McKendree, of Lebanon, Ill., has been in existence as a men’s volleyball program for a little over a decade. The Bearcats made their first trip out to Hawaii.
Kevin Schuele led McKendree with 15 kills on .357 hitting and added eight digs.
The teams rematch at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Note: This story will be updated.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
