No. 3 UC IRVINE vs No. 2 HAWAII
BIG WEST SEMIFINAL
April 20, 2018 – Walter Pyramid - 5:00 p.m.

UCI and Hawaii have met twice in a conference tournament with the Anteaters taking both matches. UCI won 3-0 in a quarterfinal match in Irvine in 2011 and a 3-2 victory in 2007 in Irvine on their way to the team's first MPSF title.

The Rainbow Warriors are 18-7 overall and tied UCI for second in the league standings at 6-4.
 
UH enters the tournament having won five of its last six, including a five-set victory over No. 1 Long Beach State last week. UCI is the only other team to take the Forty-Niners to five sets this season.
 
The two teams split the regular season series in Honolulu with Hawaii winning the first Big West match of the season, 3-1 and the Anteaters taking the rematch 3-1.
 
UCI dealt the Warriors one of their four losses at home this year.

In the first two meetings of the year, UCI out-hit (.377) and out-blocked (15.0-12.5) Hawaii, but the Warriors held the edge in digs (68-63) and aces (8-5).

Karl Apfelbach and Aaron Koubi carried the offensive load for UCI against Hawaii averaging 4.75 and 4.12 kills respectively over the eight sets in Honolulu. Koubi had a season-high 17 kills while hitting .500 on the first night, while Apfelbach pounded 24 kills and hit .500 in the second match. The opposite also led the team with 11 digs.

Middle blocker Austin Wilmot debuted in the first match in Hawaii and hasn't left the starting lineup since. In his first action as an Anteater, the freshman recorded three kills on five swings (.600) and totaled four block assists.

UCI defeated UC San Diego in the first match of the Big West Championship last night, 3-0. Apfelbach led the Anteaters with 17 kills, hitting .571 (17-1-28). Koubi had his first double-digit dig performance of the year with a match-high 10.

Against the Tritons, UCI hit a season-high .551 (54-4-89) and recorded a season-low three blocks.