It's almost as if the past year has been building up to this moment. The University of Hawaii men's volleyball team steps onto the court today for the national championship against UC Irvine, and they'll do so with what feels like a home crowd—even if that home is 2,500 miles away in Los Angeles. A win here would be the crowning achievement in what has been one of the most remarkable years in recent UH sports history.

Let's put this season in perspective. The football program enjoyed its best campaign since the Sugar Bowl season of 2007, finishing 9-4 with a dramatic Hawaii Bowl victory over California. Head coach Timmy Chang is proving he might leave an even bigger mark as a coach than he did as a record-setting quarterback.

The men's basketball team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade, winning the Big West Tournament after finishing second in its final season before moving to the more competitive Mountain West Conference. Meanwhile, the women's basketball team overcame a slow start to come within a win of the NCAAs, thanks to one of Laura Beeman's most impressive coaching efforts. She helped a team that lost nearly two-thirds of its scoring weather early struggles and finish as one of the league's deepest squads.

The softball team also made waves, finishing second in the Big West before a pair of narrow losses ended their season. Most importantly, they navigated a seamless transition from longtime head coach Bob Coolen to new skipper Panita Thanatharn.

Thanks to years of smart hiring, UH athletics appears to be in its best shape in years. And that context actually lowers the stakes for today's final—not for the players, mind you. None of them were on those back-to-back NCAA championship teams of 2021-22. But for fans, those two titles, combined with the program's steady excellence, take away much of the downside. Coach Charlie Wade will have this team in the season-ending Top 10 for the 10th straight year, regardless of today's outcome. A loss to an excellent UC Irvine team wouldn't be devastating for most supporters.

Think of it like being a Boston Red Sox fan after they finally broke "The Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 and then won again in 2007. Losing the 1986 World Series to the Mets and the 2003 ALCS to the Yankees—both in gut-wrenching fashion—was devastating. But championships in 2013 and 2018? Still thrilling, but postseason losses and even playoff-less seasons hardly faze the faithful anymore.

Today's shot at a national title for my alma mater feels the same way. The pressure is lighter, the joy purer. And that's a pretty great place to be.