Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More. Such is the longstanding and well-known tradition of Hawaii volleyball fans.
Part of the reason that UH coach Charlie Wade scheduled a two-match set at rival BYU last weekend was to give his young team an altogether different experience. A series with a long history was supercharged by the presence of ex-UH hitter Keoni Thiim in the Cougars' lineup. It was mission accomplished in Provo, Utah, in more ways than one; No. You know what I mean? It's not like we don't hear stuff at other places. I think we get somewhat anesthetized by just the aloha that people have coming to the Stan Sheriff.
We have the largest crowds, but nobody ever leaves feeling that they were insulted or belittled in some way. A run-in with a fan on the first night Friday led to the imposition of police between the UH bench and the crowd for the rest of that match. Kristian Titriyski, a UH freshman opposite from Bulgaria, was one of the primary targets of the heckler from behind the service line. I'm happy that I managed to experience that.
I'm even more happy β¦ that we won. He said it was not just the one person; there was a running dialogue between himself and the crowd both nights. Too fast for you! Titriyski surged in Set 5 on Friday with seven kills and an ace to help the Rainbow Warriors to a rousing comeback. The person was allowed to remain until the end of the match Friday. It was not the first time that BYU has gotten attention for fan behavior.
BYU banned a fan for the incident but subsequently issued an apology to the person after it conducted its own investigation and found no evidence of racial heckling. And that's the thing. I love the fact that it's not just here in Hawaii that people love volleyball. It's also like other places too, and I think that's really wonderful. It was the first time that UH swept a two-match road series against its all-sports rival that it used to encounter regularly in the MPSF.
