No. 12 Pepperdine sweeps No. 5 Hawaii

This wasn’t the Outrigger Resorts Invitational. It wasn’t a team from Conference Carolinas, the EIVA or even Lewis, last season’s national runner-up out of the MIVA. Or the comfy confines of the Stan Sheriff Center.

Friday night it was for real in Malibu, Calif. It was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener and, for No. 5 Hawaii, it was a rude awakening inside Firestone Fieldhouse.

No. 12 Pepperdine needed just 89 minutes to complete a 25-20, 25-20, 25-22 sweep in the MPSF opener for both teams. The Waves got a near-perfect night from senior opposite Matt Tarantino, who put down 13 kills with no errors in 16 swings while dominating from net to service line.

Pepperdine outblocked Hawaii 11-3 and had an 8-3 edge in aces, including five in Set 3. Two aces came in the Waves’ 4-0 closing run after the Rainbow Warriors were poised to force a fourth when leading 22-21.

“They clearly won the serve-and-pass game,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “This was the first (Pepperdine coach) Marv Dunphy team where they were going for it on their serves from almost all six rotations. They were pretty good at it, and it allowed them to run their offense.

“Our strength is our serve-and-pass and they beat us at our own game. We faced a very good team playing in their own gym, so hats off to them. We’ll continue to work at getting better.”

Hawaii has little time to make the needed adjustments. The Warriors and Waves meet again at 7 p.m. today.

The keys will be to slow the 6-foot-9 Tarantino, be in system while getting Pepperdine out of system, pass better and hit smarter. While senior hitter Siki Zarkovic had a match-high 14, Hawaii hopes that freshman opposite Stijn van Tilburg will shake off jitters of his first road match and find the consistency that had him hitting nearly .600 coming into the week.

Van Tilburg, the Most Outstanding Player at last week’s Outrigger Resorts Invitational, came back down to earth Friday night. The 6-8 Dutch national finished with 12 kills but hit .160.

“We didn’t think he’d hit .500, but we need to do a little bit better hitting around the block,” Wade said. “And our middles are still learning. We knew that would be a challenge.”

Both of Hawaii’s starting junior middles — Hendrik Mol and Iain McKellar — are converted opposites. Wade also used freshman middle Nainoa Frank, who hasn’t played since 2013, in Set 3, one of five reserves who saw time in hopes “of finding a different energy,” Wade said.

“We were trying to avoid the very definition of insanity, which is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results. It’s early and you got to see what you’ve got.”

Freshman Mamane Namahoe spelled senior Kolby Kanetake at libero, freshmen Brett Rosenmeier and Colton Cowell saw action on the outside, and reserve setter Joe Worsley again was used as a serving sub.

Hawaii nearly avoided the sweep, rallying from down 19-15 to take leads of 21-20 and 22-21. Pepperdine answered with Tarantino’s 13th kill and junior middle Mitchell Penning served out the match.

The Waves ran their series lead over the Warriors to 43-30. Pepperdine has won the last two meetings dating back to April’s MPSF tournament semifinal victory.