UC Irvine men’s volleyball coach David Kniffin has spent 14 seasons leading the Anteaters program.
He watched this year’s team surge at the right time, pulling off a string of upsets he hopes the players remember more than their loss to Hawaii in the NCAA Division I national title game Monday at Pauley Pavilion.
“These guys have a lot to be proud of this season,” Kniffin said. “I feel it is the most important thing in the world.”
The Anteaters returned to the men’s volleyball championship game on Monday for the first time since 2013, but the team came up short against Hawaii (30-5, 9-1 Big West).
The unranked Anteaters (21-9, 5-5) knocked off No. 1 UCLA in the quarterfinals, winning 4-3 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 19-25, 16-14).
UC Irvine then defeated No. 4 Ball State in the semifinals, winning 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19).
Hawaii, however, tripped UC Irvine, with the Anteaters falling 3-1 (25-15, 18-25, 18-25, 20-25) in the championship match.
The Anteaters had alumni cheering them on during the title tilt at Pauley Pavilion. That support was especially meaningful to Kniffin.
“I’m watching these guys become fathers, husbands and so on,” Kniffin said of his former players. “Most of these guys didn’t get a chance to win the national championship, but they are crushing it in life right now.”
UC Irvine held a sizable lead in the first set against the Rainbow Warriors and eventually pulled away to win 25-15. The Anteaters couldn’t get anything going in the second set despite being within distance of the Rainbow Warriors. The Anteaters went on a 3-0 run to make it 15-11, but Hawaii’s front four proved to be a problem as the group sparked a 25-18 set win.
The Anteaters started the third set down 2-0 to the Rainbow Warriors, but they tied it 3-3. Hawaii and UC Irvine finished the set with nine ties and two lead changes. Hawaii pulled away to win the set 25-18.
UC Irvine started the fourth set with a 6-4 lead before Hawaii’s outside hitter Louis Sakanoko got an ace that started a Hawaii 4-0 run.
Outside hitter Andreas Brinck helped the Anteaters tie it 9-9. UC Irvine got within one, trailing 17-16, but Hawaii kept pace and eventually mounted a back-breaking 5-0 run to take a 23-18 lead.
“I just want to say congratulations to Kniffin and UCI for a fantastic season,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “We don’t get here without the support of a lot of people, and I’ve always said this, but volleyball is a big deal in our community. This matters.”
