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No. 1 UH opens season with win over Ball State

The Maui News Spyros Chakas had a match-high 19 kills to lead the two-time defending national champion University of Hawaii men's volleyball team to a four-set victory over Ball State in the teams' season opener on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. Fellow junior outside hitter Chaz Galloway added 14 kills and seven digs for the top-ranked Rainbow Warriors, who began their quest for a third straight national title with the 25-16, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17 victory over the sixth-ranked Cardinals. In a rematch of a 2022 national semifinal, UH finished with the edge in hitting percentage (.402 to .320) and aces (7-1) while Ball State outblocked the Warriors 10-5.5. Junior middle blocker Guilherme Voss finished with 11 kills on 14 attempts with no errors for a .786 hitting percentage, and senior setter Jakob Thelle had 47 assists, eight digs, two aces and a block for UH. Kaleb Jenness had 18 kills and Tinai Ndavazocheva added 11 kills to lead the Cardinals, who are beginning their second year under head coach Donan Cruz. Cruz, a graduate of Baldwin High School, was the AVCA Coach of the Year last season after guiding Ball State to a 23-4 record, Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular-season and tournament titles, and the Cardinals' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002. The teams play again tonight. Prior to the match, UH will unveil its 2022 national championship banner.

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