- Record: Senate Floor
- Section type: Floor speeches
- Chamber: Senate
- Date: May 14, 2026
- Congress: 119th Congress
- Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I am glad to join my colleague Senator Schatz in rising today to recognize the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors men's volleyball team, the 2026 NCAA national champions.
team to claim the national title for the third time. In the process, they made history by completing the first 30-win season in program history.
State and beyond in celebrating this impressive group of athletes. Not only is their roster impressive; it is diverse, with players from across the Pacific, from Europe, from the mainland, from across our islands. Tournament MVP Louis Sakanoko came to the University of Hawaii all the way from France. The Big West Player of the Year Tread Rosenthal is from Texas. And let's not forget two of Hawaii's own: Kainoa Wade and Alex Parks.
The `Bows' coach Charlie Wade has said that the program they built at UH is unlike anything else on the planet, and part of what makes this team so special and successful is the commitment to embracing and building around their different strengths—players from different countries, different cultures, and different playing traditions coming together to accomplish a shared goal with the understanding that their differences make them stronger.
to celebrate, not fear. In our State, cultures don't just coexist; they combine to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Like our State, these Rainbow Warriors show what is possible when we embrace our differences, our diversity. At a time when diversity is under attack, this team just showed the entire country that diversity is a competitive advantage.
Stan Sheriff Center, cheering at the top of their lungs: Congratulations and mahalo. You made Hawaii proud.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.