HONOLULU — The Tusculums, Emmanuels and Missouri S&Ts of the world are quick and quaint memories for the Hawaii men’s volleyball team.

Now the real fun begins.

When the No. 3 Rainbow Warriors swept Sacred Heart for the second time in three days on Sunday, it marked the end of what felt like a series of preliminary bouts before the main card. This week, UH (14-1) will be joined by three other ranked teams, including two others in the top five, in the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational starting Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

UH opens the round-robin tournament against No. 14 Lewis (12-8), with No. 1 Grand Canyon (15-0) and No. 5 UC Irvine (12-4) to come on Friday and Sunday.

Beyond that is the start of Big West play with a two-match set at No. 2 Long Beach State.

“This is what we’ve practiced for all year, this is why we’re grinding in the practice gym, in the weight room,” freshman setter Tread Rosenthal said after Sunday’s 25-17, 25-16, 25-20 decision over the SHU Pioneers (6-11). “It’s good to finally be here. I think we still need a lot more work ‘til the end of the season, but we’re here and we’re ready to get started.”

UH has won 13 straight matches and has claimed 18 straight sets. Its best wins so far were two against then-No. 5 Stanford, which is now No. 8.

Rosenthal had a personal-best four of UH’s 10 aces on Sunday, along with 29 assists, two blocks and four digs. On Monday, he was named the Big West Freshman of the Week for the fifth time in nine weeks this season.

It was one of his best games to date connecting with the middles; senior Guilherme Voss had 10 kills on 12 swings, while Pearl City native and Punahou graduate Zachary Thompson had two kills in his first career start.

Rosenthal is proving to be a tough self-critic; he rated himself only a 6 out of 10 for the week’s matches against an overwhelmed opponent.

“It’s definitely quick and gotta adjust fast,” the 17-year-old said of the speed of the college game. “But I’m super excited to be here and this is why I came, to play (against) the best guys with the best guys.”

Coach Charlie Wade said the U.S. junior national team standout is coming along within the team’s system. Rosenthal had only one error in 20 serves Sunday; that 95% serving success rate exceeded the 90% benchmark Wade looks for.

“I think we’re going to get better all the way through the season,” Wade said. “Just having a new setter and integrating all new hitters to work with. We continue to see improvement and looking forward to the second half of the season here.”

As an interesting wrinkle, former UH libero/setter Brett Sheward was named BWC Offensive Player of the Week for UC Irvine. Sheward left UH to pursue a full-time setting opportunity.

In another tie between programs this week, UH backup setter Kevin Kauling was a four-year starter at Lewis, where he was a three-time All-American.

UH last won the Outrigger Invitational in 2020. Last year’s field included three of the four teams in the NCAA semifinals later that year in UH, UCLA and Penn State.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.