Seniors lead Warriors to sixth straight

LA JOLLA, Calif. » Lauri Hakala and Brian Beckwith are All-Americans. Dio Dante and Eric Kalima are All-Underrated.

Hawaii    UC San Diego 3 0 Next Up at Long Beach State on Friday

Last night, there was little difference between Hawaii's four seniors as they combined to lead the Warriors to their sixth consecutive volleyball victory. No. 13 Hawaii wore down unranked UC San Diego 35-33, 30-27, 30-19 in 90 minutes at the RIMAC Arena to move into sole possession of ninth place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

The Warriors (9-13, 7-11 MPSF) continued to get help in their quest for a playoff berth. BYU swept Long Beach State last night, sending the 49ers -- Hawaii's next opponent -- into 10th place. Should USC lose at UCLA tonight, the Warriors would be tied for eighth with the Trojans.

The top eight teams make the MPSF tournament.

"We don't want to be thinking ahead," Hawaii coach Mike Wilton said. "We want to concentrate on what we can control."

Last night, it was Dante who had a controlling presence, with a game that measured up to his 6-foot-8 frame. The middle blocker finished with 10 kills, 12 blocks and two of the team's five aces.

Hakala again led the Warriors with 16 kills. Beckwith was in on eight blocks to go with his 39 assists.

The biggest game, however, came from the smallest of the four -- Kalima, generously listed at 6 feet. The outside hitter had nine kills with no errors in 14 swings, a team-high seven digs and two aces and nearly doubled his block totals for the season with eight.

"All of our seniors played well," Wilton said, "but Kalima helped keep us awake."

Kalima was in on two blocks that helped keep Hawaii alive in Game 1. The Tritons had two swings at ending it, starting at 29-27, only to be denied by Hakala's seventh kill.

UCSD's second try was stuffed when Kalima and freshman Matt Rawson blocked Frank Fritsch, tying it at 29. Kalima and Rawson again blocked Fritsch to give the Warriors what would be the first of five game points.

Hawaii made good on its fifth, when Rawson and Beckwith blocked Triton freshman Will Ehrman (Punahou '06) to give the Warriors the game.

Unlike Thursday, when UCSD disappeared after Game 1, the Tritons continued to play tough. The Warriors didn't pull away until it was 25-25, using a four-point run -- highlighted by an ace by Kalima -- to take control at 29-25.

Ehrman had a kill and a point-saving dig to help the Tritons hold off two Hawaii attempts at ending it. The third was anticlimactic; Fritsch served wide to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.

Hawaii broke away midway through Game 3. Leading 17-15, Hakala was in on two blocks to extend the margin to 20-15.

The Tritons never got closer than 21-17, getting stuck in a bad rotation while Rawson served the Warriors to a 27-17 lead. Dante's second ace came as UH closed it out.

Rawson also had a productive night at the net, with six kills and no errors in eight attempts, and was in on seven blocks. The Warriors again dominated on defense, outblocking the Tritons 22-5.

Over the two nights, UH had a 39-6 edge in blocks. The Warriors also ran their series record against the Tritons to 37-0.

Jason Spangler led UCSD with 16 kills and Fritsch -- who was recruited by Hawaii -- added 12. Ehrman finished with 11 kills and had two of the team's five aces.

The Warriors return home today, then head back to the mainland Wednesday for matches at Long Beach State.

"We'll keep working on fundamentals and playing our best," Wilton said.