After an intense final week of the regular-season that saw all the seeds in flux heading into Friday’s matches, the bracket has been finalized with Long Beach State holding the top line as The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship.
The No. 1 ranked Beach (23-2, 9-1 Big West) claimed the outright regular-season title after sweeping through second-seeded and fourth-ranked UC Irvine (18-9, 7-3 Big West) to cap the regular-season slate. UCI handed LBSU their first conference loss of the season on Friday night to bring the potential of co-champion status into play, but the Beach defended their home court for back-to-back regular-season titles and their fourth in the six seasons that men’s volleyball has been a conference-sponsored sport.
Both the Beach and Anteaters earn byes into the semifinal round of the six-team championship bracket, which will take place at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of Hawai’i. This marks the fourth time that the Rainbow Warriors will be playing host to The Big West Championship.
Fifth-ranked Hawai’i (22-6, 5-5 Big West) settled into the No. 3 seed in the bracket, and will face off against UC Santa Barbara (9-17, 2-8 Big West) in Thursday’s first round. UH took both regular-season matchups against the Gauchos, winning 3-0 and 3-2 to close out the month of March on O’ahu. The two sides will have met up in three consecutive postseasons, with Hawai’i earning sweeps in both the 2022 and ’23 semifinal rounds. 2024 will mark the first time the ’Bows will compete in the first round of the Championship.
The No. 4 seed belongs to UC San Diego (12-14, 4-6 Big West) and the Tritons will tussle with fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked CSUN (12-15, 3-7) to open the event on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HT. The Tritons were victors in both March matchups against the Matadors. This will be a second ever postseason meeting between the two, as UCSD won the No. 4/5 matchup in 2021 by a score of 3-1 en route to their only Championship final appearance.
The Hawai’i/UC Santa Barbara first-round matchup will be Thursday’s nightcap, set for first serve at 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT. The winner of the contest will move on to play UC Irvine in Friday’s semifinal round. The Anteaters took two from UCSB during the regular season, but split with UH last weekend on the mainland. Uniquely, the two also squared off once in non-conference action, with Hawai’i claiming a five-set victory back on March 10 as part of the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational.
The winner of the UCSD/CSUN contest will advance to take on Long Beach State in the other semifinal. The Beach swept through both potential opponents in the regular season, four of the 14 straight-set victories for the nation’s top team thus far in 2024.
The Championship final will take place on Saturday, April 20, at 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT, with the winner gaining The Big West’s automatic entry into the field of the 2024 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship. The selection show for the national championship is set for 10 a.m. PT/7 a.m. HT next Sunday, April 21, on NCAA.com. The powerhouse Big West has produced four of the last five national champions.
All five matches inside the Stan Sheriff Center will be produced by Spectrum Sports and air on that channel in Hawai’i and on ESPN+ on the mainland. Kanoa Leahey will be on the call with storied coach and fellow Hawai’i native Chris McLachlin providing color commentary.
Host Hawai’i will be looking to three-peat as Big West champion after earning the title as the No. 2 seed in 2022’s edition on O’ahu and hoisting the trophy in 2023 against host UC Irvine as the top seed in the bracket. UH also earned the title in 2019 in front of the home crowd. Long Beach State (2018) and UC Santa Barbara (2021) round out the four squads who have at least one Big West title.
Secure your seats to attend The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship today at etickethawaii.com or by calling (808) 956-4482. Fans planning to attend all three days of competition can purchase all-session ticket packages ranging from $48 to 72 for adults, depending on desired seating locations. Single-day seating options for adults begin at $19 per day for upper-level access, with lower-level seats available for $27 per day.
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS PRESENTS THE 2024 OUTRIGGER BIG WEST MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Thursday, April 18
Match 1 | 7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HT | No. 4 seed UC San Diego vs. No. 5 seed CSUN
Match 2 | 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT | | No. 3 seed Hawai’i vs. No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara
Semifinals - Friday, April 19
Match 3 7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HT | | No. 1 seed Long Beach State vs. Match 1 winner
Match 4 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT | No. 2 seed UC Irvine vs. Match 2 winner
Final - Saturday, April 20
Match 5 | 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT | Championship Match