Rainbow Warriors fans rejoice as men’s volleyball team wins 3rd NCAA title
Maybe Craig Hirasaki was the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team’s good luck charm on Monday — from more than 2,500 miles away. Hirasaki arrived a little late to Murphy’s Bar &Grill in downtown Honolulu to watch all of the Warriors’ national championship match. He was among thousands throughout the islands who tuned into ESPN in the early afternoon to witness the Rainbow Warriors defeat UC Irvine in Los Angeles.
Hirasaki missed some of the first set, which UH lost, before the team bounced back to win the next three sets in dominant fashion. “Hey, if that’s what it takes, OK,” said Hirasaki, who was one of the loudest cheerers among a couple dozen UH fans watching at Murphy’s. “I’m just glad they came back to win it.
They had a lot to overcome this season. ” Earlier-arriving friends, including Peter Castillo and Kurt Osaki, laughed at the notion of Hirasaki being the reason for UH’s turnaround. “We knew it from the beginning of the season,” Castillo said.
“We told the players, ‘You’re gonna win it all this year. ’” It was the Warriors’ third national championship in six years. And it never gets old for the fans, even those who didn’t make the trip to UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
“Sweeter every time,” said Castillo, who calls himself “head chicken” of Huli-Huli Chicken Company. “As a fan and a UH alum, it gets better every time. ” Ironically, the UCLA Bruins were one of the few teams this season to beat the Warriors, who finished with the most wins in program history (30-5).
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