LAIE / HONOLULU, Hawaii – Cal Lutheran men's volleyball (4-0) took care of business on its trip to Hawaii with three sweeps in the Cal Luau Invitational over Westminster (2-1), Marymount (1-2), and Emmanuel (0-3). The Kingsmen defeated Westminster and Marymount on Saturday before beating Emmanuel on Sunday morning.

Cal Lutheran def. Westminster 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20)
In Cal Lutheran's first match of the tournament, it faced Westminster, who got off to a quick 3-1 start as the Kingsmen faced a brief early deficit. The two teams traded points for a bit before Cal Lutheran went on a 7-0 run to open a 12-7 lead. Mason Rowell started the run with a kill, also contributing two blocks during the span. Brendan Hom registered two kills and a block, and Gavin Galanski provided three assists and a block. Aidan Godfrey added a service ace as the Kingsmen took control of the opening set. Cal Lutheran kept a comfortable lead the rest of the way, and another Galanski block sealed the first set for the Kingsmen.

Cal Lutheran got off to a great start in set two behind a pair of kills and a pair of service aces from Hom, opening an 8-2 advantage. That lead grew to 12-4, and while the Blue Jays made a comeback attempt and got within four points, the Kingsmen were too overpowering. Cal Lutheran took set two after a kill from Connor Crawford.

Set three was much tighter, with a 14-14 score already marking the 10th tied score of the set. The Kingsmen went on a quick 4-0 run behind kills from Godfrey and Crawford, along with another service ace from Godfrey. Westminster battled, and Cal Lutheran found itself up 21-20 late in the set. The Kingsmen would win the next four points with another kill from Godfrey and blocks by Rowell, Godfrey, and Crawford to capture the set and win the match.

Hom registered a game-high 13 kills, adding three service aces and nine digs. Crawford piled up nine kills, three blocks, and eight digs in a solid all-around effort.

Galanski provided 28 assists and seven digs from the setter position. On defense, Rowell led the charge with five blocks (one solo), and Braden Gonzales collected a game-high 11 digs at libero.

Cal Lutheran def. Marymount 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18)
Cal Lutheran took on Marymount in both teams' second match of the evening, and the Kingsmen got off to a blazing start. They opened up an 11-2 lead, with Godfrey and Crawford each providing a pair of kills. The Saints' only two points in that span came on service errors by Cal Lutheran. At one point, the lead was extended to 21-8 before Marymount went on a run. But the Kingsmen were too far ahead, eventually claiming the opening set 25-16.

The Saints came out firing in the second set, scoring the first four points. Cal Lutheran settled in and clawed back to take its first lead of the set after a four-point run, capped off by a Godfrey kill, gave it a 19-17 advantage. Four clutch kills and a service ace by Hom, who provided five of his team's final six points, gave the Kingsmen a 25-21 set victory.

The third set was one of runs by both teams. The Kingsmen struck first with four-straight points to take an 8-6 lead behind kills from Godfrey, Hom, and Crawford and a service ace from Godfrey. Marymount responded with a 6-1 run to take a 12-9 advantage. Cal Lutheran countered by winning 10 of the next 13 points to go up 19-15. During that run, Crawford and Matthew Wilcox each provided two blocks and a kill. Another 4-0 run from Cal Lutheran, fueled by two Hom kills and a Crawford kill, gave it a 24-17 lead, and a couple points later the Kingsmen sealed the match with a 25-18 set victory.

Cal Lutheran dominated at the net with 36 kills and an efficient .338 attack percentage. Hom recorded a game-high 13 kills (.550%), and Crawford wasn't far behind with nine kills (.300%) and a team-high six digs.

Galanski collected 27 assists and a pair of service aces, while Wilcox tallied a game-high four blocks.

Cal Lutheran def. Emmanuel 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-21)
The Kingsmen got some rest before taking on Emmanuel the following morning in the final match of the four-team invitational. Crawford had a nice start to the first set for Cal Lutheran with two kills, a block, and an assist to give his team a 6-2 early advantage. Later in the set, the Kingsmen went on a 7-0 behind two kills and a block from Hom to take a comfortable 18-6 lead. The Saints settled in from there, but the deficit was too much for them to overcome, and Cal Lutheran won the opening set 25-15.

In set two, a pair of kills from Wilcox helped the Kingsmen open a 4-2 lead, a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the set. Emmanuel fought hard to stay within reach, eventually trailing 20-16. From there, two more Wilcox kills combined with kills from Crawford and Evan Ford, all set up by Keaton Hendry, claimed the set for Cal Lutheran, 25-18.

Despite set three ending up the tightest of the three, the Kingsmen held the lead the entire time after winning the first point on a Hom kill. A 4-0 run midway through the set, including kills from Tyler Linville and Rowell, both set up by Garrett Ream, gave Cal Lutheran an 18-13 advantage. A kill from Linville would seal the set, 25-21, and the match for the Kingsmen, giving them nine-straight set wins to conclude the tournament and 12-straight set wins to open the 2026 season.

The Kingsmen converted a ridiculous .533 attack percentage on 47 kills. The trio of Hom (.688%), Crawford (.435%), and Linville (.333%) recorded 11 kills each, and Crawford added three blocks and a game-high six digs.

Rowell and Wilcox each had uber-efficient offensive performances while contributing heavily on the defensive end. Rowell recorded six kills (.857%) and three blocks, and Wilcox mustered five kills (1.000%) and three four blocks (one solo).

Galanski, Hendry, and Ream each played one set at the setter position, recording nine, 17, and 12 assists, respectively.

Cal Lutheran returns home victorious in its Cal Luau Invitational, sweeping each of its opponents in dominant fashion. The Kingsmen will go back on the road to face off against some familiar foes next weekend in Santa Cruz.