Penn State repelled a frenetic Hawaii rally for a 24-26, 25-19, 17-25, 25-15, 16-14 volleyball victory in the second round of the Outrigger Hotels Invitational.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 1,550 watched the Warriors fall short in their quest for their first 2013 victory in four matches.

Instead, it was the team that traveled the farthest that finished strong.

"It was a match of streaks," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said, "and we streaked at the right time."

The Warriors, who tried several combinations, appeared to have the right fit, particularly with outside hitter Brook Sedore behind the service line.

With the Nittany Lions ahead 13-11, UH’s Taylor Averill slammed a kill to cut the deficit to a point.

Then Sedore, a sophomore who has been used mostly as a one-rotation specialist, went to serve. Sedore blasted a serve that ricocheted off libero Connor Curry to tie the first-to-15 fifth set at 13.

Penn State called timeout to freeze Sedore.

But Sedore came back and then sizzled a serve that landed untouched inside the left sideline to give the Warriors the lead at 14-13.

The Nittany Lions then used their second — and final — timeout.

This time, Sedore’s serve was long, tying the set for the ninth time.

On the next play, UH opposite J.P. Marks attempted a crossing shot from the right side. He could not clear the Nittany Lions’ tandem block.

Penn State opposite Tom Comfort slammed aloha ball, sparking a raucous on-court celebration.

"You come into this gym at this time of the year, and anything can happen," Pavlik said. "You’re going to get the Warriors’ best."

Outside hitter Aaron Russell led the Nittany Lions with 17 kills. Most of his 37 swings were launched over the Warriors’ block. It was Penn State’s ability to repeatedly hit high that put stress on the Warriors’ back row.

"A lot of (the high swings) should go to our setter," Pavlik said. "Taylor Hammond did a good job. He is poised for a good career if he keeps improving at the rate he’s improving. I thought he made great sets at critical times in the match."

The Warriors, meanwhile, received boosts from unexpected sources. Outside hitter Sinisa Zarkovic, who struggled with his accuracy the night before against Ohio State, finished with 18 kills and hit .500. He was at his best in transition.

In UH’s three previous matches, middle blocker Nick West emerged as a scoring threat. The Nittany Lions camped a blocker in front of West most of the first set.

"Early on, we weren’t passing the ball really well to go to the middle," Hawaii coach Chalrie Wade said.

The Outrigger often is used as an experimental lab. Wade decided to give time to the other middles. Aniefre Etim-Thomas started the second set; Averill, a converted opposite who has recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, opened in the middle for the final three sets.

And Sedore was able to get some work as a regular. Sedore brought both emotion and a powerful swing on quick sets to the back row.

"He looked good," Wade said.

Pavlik said: "Brook Sedore almost won the match for them. He did a nice job. It was a great match."

UCLA 3, Ohio State 2

In a familiar script, the Bruins rallied for their second five-set victory in this tournament. This time, the Bruins outlasted the Buckeyes 17-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13.

And, once again, the Bruins were not at full strength. Their leading attacker, 7-foot opposite Robert Page, did not play. Left-side hitter Gonzalo Quiroga was held out with what he said was an abdominal strain. Quiroga said he expects to play against UH tonight.

Outside hitter Dane Worley led the Bruins with 19 kills. Middle blocker Spencer Rowe, a converted opposite, and outside hitter Kene Izuchukwu each contributed 13 kills.

In the first-to-15 fifth set, Worley, Rowe and Jonathan Bridgeman teamed on a triple block to give the Bruins a 13-12 lead.

Ohio State’s John Tholen tied it with a kill.

But the Bruins finished off the match with consecutive blocks. Rowe got handprints on both of them.

The Bruins improved to 5-1.

The Buckeyes are 2-1.