GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Greg Gaudino of Pepperdine put the ball past Hawaii setter Brian Beckwith last night, as the Waves swept the Warriors.

Pepperdine picks apart Hawaii

Which is worse? To be so close and come up short, or to be so far away?

No. 14 Hawaii experienced both in last night's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation volleyball match, being right there with No. 1 Pepperdine in Games 1 and 3, and being no where near in Game 2.

"I know it sounds tiring, to be saying the same thing over and over again," Hawaii senior hitter Lauri Hakala said. "We just need to put it all together. We know we can beat anyone."

With inconsistent passing, the Warriors again beat themselves, helped along by the balanced attack of the nation's top team. The Waves fended off every charge over 1 hour and 44 minutes at the Stan Sheriff Center, winning their 12th in a row, 30-28, 30-18, 30-28.

A turnstile crowd of 1,730 (3,081 tickets) saw Pepperdine improve to 15-1, 12-1 MPSF. Hawaii fell to 3-12 and 3-10.

The teams meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. It's expected to be another battle at opposite, Hawaii's Hakala against Pepperdine's Paul Carroll.

Hakala, back at the position that earned him All-America honors, had a match-high 18 kills. Carroll, second in the country in kills, had just two in Game 1 but finished with a team-high 14.

"He's the man," Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said of Hakala. "I really respect his ability to play the game. He brings a lot to the court. He's going to be a handful tomorrow and for the rest of the year."

Warrior coach Mike Wilton had Hakala on the left this season, which kept the senior in the passing formations more often. But Wilton said he decided to sacrifice passing for Hakala's consistent offense on the right.

The smaller Warriors, who lead the MPSF in blocking, did outblock the Waves 9.5 to 7.5. But the Waves, who hit .356, had too many weapons.

It was a battle in Game 1, with 12 ties, including the last at 28 following Hawaii's 4-0 run. Carroll personally finished off the game with a kill and an ace.

After being blown out in Game 2 and trailing early in Game 3, the Warriors held off three match points to close to 29-28. Hakala's line shot was just wide, giving Pepperdine its eighth sweep.