Top seed Stanford, which includes seven players from Hawai'i, will open against fourth seed Ohio State in the semifinals of the NCAA Volleyball Championship Thursday at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.

No. 2 seed Cal State Northridge, which received an at-large berth in the final four, will play third-seeded Penn State in the other semifinal. The final is set for Saturday.

Stanford (22-6) features 'Iolani alum Kawika Shoji and Brad Lawson and Punahou graduate Erik Shoji, all chosen American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-Americans this season. The Cardinal beat Hawai'i in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament semifinals and went on to win the conference championship.

Other players from Hawai'i on the Cardinal roster are Jordan Inafuku (Kamehameha), Spencer McLachlin (Punahou), Max Halvorson (Punahou) and Chandler Ka'a'a (Kamehameha-Hawai'i).

Ohio State (22-7) was the winner of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Penn State (23-7) was the winner of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Cal State Northridge (23-9) was MPSF runner-up.

Kaleo Baxter, a Kaua'i High alum from Kapa'a, is on the Cal State Northridge roster.

ON TV

Thursday

Semifinal No. 1: Cal State Northridge vs. Penn State, 3 p.m. Hawai'i time, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com simulcast.

Semifinal No. 2: Stanford vs. Ohio State, 5 p.m. Hawai'i time, ESPNU.

Saturday

National championship, 1 p.m. Hawai'i time, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com simulcast.