Each UC Irvine men’s volleyball player gripped a white, plastic mini volleyball while waiting to hear their name ring through Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
One by one, the Anteaters jogged toward their fans and hurled the NCAA tournament semifinals souvenir into the crowd. Just a small way of saying “thanks” to those who have supported them through a tournament run that few saw coming.
“In those moments, I remember that I don’t play only for myself,” freshman outside hitter Andrej Jokanovic told reporters. “I also play for everyone who is in the crowd, for all my teammates, and it gets me even more fired up.”
Unseeded UC Irvine (21-8) conquered Penn State and top-seeded UCLA — both in five sets — before beating fourth-seeded Ball State on Saturday night in the semifinals. The ‘Eaters are now in a position to give their loyal fans the ultimate gift of gratitude: an NCAA title.
Second-seeded Hawai’i (29-5), which beat third-seeded Long Beach State in the semifinals, awaits UC Irvine in Monday’s 4 p.m. championship game. It’ll be UCI’s first appearance in a championship game since it won a national title in 2013.
That season was also head coach David Kniffin’s first with the program.
“I see a lot of similarities,” Kniffin said. “I did not lead that team, and I am not leading this team. This team is leading this team.
“It’s been so fun to be able to have high-level adult conversations about not just the volleyball, but also expectations, and if there’s one thing — I’m not asking them to do anything that’s outside their skill set. The back and forth has just been really honest.”
UC Irvine probably would not have even been in the position to compete for a national title if not for this season’s tournament expansion. Twelve teams were accepted into the tournament this season, as opposed to only nine in previous seasons.
Four seeds were up for grabs, making UC Irvine an at-large team and, mathematically, a long shot to win the tournament.
“Now we’ve got a legitimate hype, a buildup, a runway going into the final four that we have never had before,” Kniffin said of the expansion. “Now you get the opportunity to have some of these things.”
The school has rallied around its volleyball program. The average attendance for games has been 2,283 fans, not just because of the quality of the product, but also due to promotional efforts by administration.
The team stood outside of the Anteatery, UC Irvine’s dining facility, encouraging the student body to attend games. Players walked into the stands between sets and dished out high-fives, thanking them for coming — and they soon added free pizza into the mix.
Buses of fans who learned to cheer for volleyball through social media videos posted by the team arrived at Pauley Pavilion wearing shirts that read “why not us” on Saturday. Even more may battle the 405 freeway on Monday.
“We need to re-inspire a public that is wondering what is the value of collegiate sports and what is collegiate sports right now,” Kniffin said. “Why should we still get excited about this and why should we support it?”
We have the opportunity to have great community engagement. And I think we can do that in an authentic, student-athlete way and that’s just super exciting for me. I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last in collegiate sports.”
NCAA MEN’S VOLLEYBALL FINALS
Who: UC Irvine (21-8) vs. No. 2 seed Hawai’i (29-5)
When: Monday, 4 p.m.
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/Radio: ESPN2