No. 14 Penn State men’s volleyball (4-4, 0-0 EIVA) fell to No. 3 Hawaii (9-1, 0-0 Big West) on Saturday night in Rec Hall, 3-1.

Despite a gritty first-set win and a wild, back-and-forth fourth set, the Nittany Lions couldn’t keep pace with the Rainbow Warriors in the middle sets, resulting in their fourth consecutive loss.

How It Happened

Penn State drew first blood with a thunderous kill by Matthew Luoma, and then took a 2-0 lead after an attack error by Hawaii. A service error by Owen Rose put the Rainbow Warriors on the board. A kill from Louis Sakanoko knotted it at 2-2, but Hawaii took five of the next seven points to build a 7-4 lead.

Luoma pounded another kill to keep Penn State within two points. Jaxon Herr sped up the tempo and delivered a kill on the second touch, then Rose followed that up with a kill of his own as Penn State trailed 10-9.

Jaidyn Bethel came flying out of the back row to deliver another kill for Penn State that ricocheted off a Hawaii player deep into the stands.

BOOM#WeAre pic.twitter.com/Lbwpq2NeLm

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) January 31, 2026

After the media timeout, Hawaii struggled at the service line, gifting Penn State a trio of points. A kill from Tristan Hassell tied it up at 19, but he immediately flipped the lead and possession back to Hawaii with a service error.

A kill by Kainoa Wade forced Penn State to call a timeout down 21-19.

The Nittany Lions took the next two points out of the break to even the score at 21. A crucial service error from Gage Gabriel gave the ball back to Hawaii, but Rose responded with a kill. Adrien Roure moved the Rainbow Warriors to set point, but Luoma tooled the block to keep Penn State alive.

Even at 25, Rose got a lucky break as his serve slapped the top of the tape and rolled over for a crucial service ace, forcing Hawaii to call a timeout.

After a back-and-forth battle that featured 11 ties, Penn State took set one 27-25 with another ace from Rose.

Hawaii nabbed the first two points of the second set, but shortly after, a service error put Penn State on the board. The Rainbow Warriors tightened their grip, taking four straight points and forcing Penn State to burn an early timeout.

A kill by Luoma momentarily stopped the bleeding, but Sean Harvey immediately turned it over in service to give Hawaii a 7-2 lead.

Penn State continued to struggle against Hawaii in structure. The Rainbow Warriors took seven of the next nine to coast to a 15-6 lead.

Hawaii reached the 20-point mark before Penn State could reach the 10-point mark, essentially sealing the second set.

Roure aced to take the second set 25-10.

Hawaii picked up right where they left off, as Sakanoko pounded a kill for a 1-0 lead. They quickly racked up two more points before Penn State got a kill from Harvey to make it a 3-1 game. Hawaii then put together a trio of kills to extend its lead to 6-2. Harvey found another kill, but the Rainbow Warriors immediately responded with a kill of their own.

The Nittany Lions struggled to keep pace with Hawaii’s offense, going down 12-6 after a kill by Sakanoko.

The Rec Hall crowd got back into it after Gabriel rejected a Rainbow Warrior at the net, but Hawaii kept its foot on the gas. Roure notched a pair of kills to extend Hawaii’s 19-11 lead. Then, Rose put up an errant set, resulting in an easy kill for Hawaii that sparked a 4-0 run.

Down 23-12, Penn State fought to take three of the next four points, but a kill from Tread Rosenthal ended the third set 25-15.

The teams traded kills to begin the fourth set, but Penn State took a 6-4 lead after consecutive kills from Michael Schwob. The fight that the Nittany Lions showed during the first set had returned. They climbed to a 12-9 lead after a kill from Luoma.

The boys are on a ROLL! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/v65WTMliWK

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) January 31, 2026

However, the Rainbow Warriors dug their heels in, taking three straight points to tie the game. Hassell responded with a kill and a block to give Penn State a 15-13 lead.

A rejection by Gabriel at the net put Penn State up 18-16 and forced Hawaii to call a timeout.

Schwob committed a service error out of the break, but Bethel redeemed him with a kill that moved Penn State into the 20’s. Bethel was shaken up a few plays later, forcing him to exit the court.

A kill by Luoma extended Penn State’s lead to 22-20, but Hawaii would not relent. Roure put together a kill and a block to tie it at 22. Freshman Kyle Fagan committed a crucial service error to flip possession to Hawaii, but a kill by Luoma moved Penn State to set point.

Sakanoko landed back-to-back kills to retake the lead, but a Rainbow Warrior service error evened it up. With Rec Hall surging, Penn State took a 27-26 lead on an attack error by Hawaii. The pendulum swung back and forth as the teams traded points deep into the fourth set.

After it appeared Harvey ended the fourth set with a kill, the officials reversed the call, keeping the intense showdown going. Hawaii then took a 33-32 lead on a kill from Wade, but a dangerously close serve rolled back onto Hawaii’s side to keep Penn State alive.

After an official ruled Roure’s serve out, Hawaii’s coach challenged it, and it was quickly reversed, clinching the fourth set 38-36 and the victory for the Rainbow Warriors.

Takeaways

• Penn State showed commendable resilience in the first set and fourth sets, but allowing Hawaii to take a 2-1 lead left no room for error. It was too little, too late tonight for the blue & white.
• Despite the loss, Matthew Luoma had a strong game, full of timely kills. He finished with 17 kills on a .515 kill rate.
• The Nittany Lions struggled to keep pace offensively tonight, as reflected in the hitting percentage discrepancy. Penn State hit just .171, whereas Hawaii hit .412. The pressure was consistently on Penn State to match the Rainbow Warriors’ output.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will remain at Rec Hall for their annual THON match against Saint Francis at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 6. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.