In a men's volleyball exhibition that was an exhibition in the importance of team chemistry, Pepperdine overpowered Hawai'i, 30-23, 30-21, 30-23, last night in the Stan Sheriff Center.

In the preliminary match featuring the reserves, the Warriors prevailed, 30-22, 29-31, 30-28, 30-25.

A come-in-from-the-rain gathering of 279 watched the taller Waves dominate at the net to win the featured match in 90 minutes.

The Waves finished with a 14-2 advantage in blocks. The Warriors did not have a block until Game 3.

"They're a good team," UH left-side hitter Jim Clar said. "They put up a huge block on us. They're huge. They've got some big boys out there."

The short-handed Warriors were without setter Sean Carney (fractured right hand) and middle blocker Keali'i Frank (torn abdominal muscle).

With one middle blocker redshirting this season and another not due to enroll until January, the Warriors had one legitimate middle, 6-foot-7, Matt Rawson, available last night. Outside hitter Brennon Dyer, who is 6-4, was summoned to play middle.

Meanwhile, five of the Waves' seven starters were at least 6-7, including 6-8 setter Jonathan Winder. That meant at every rotation, the Warrior perimeter attackers — 6-4 Jake Schkud, 6-2 Matt Vanzant and 6-2 Clar — faced a forest of long arms.

"We have to be craftier," Schkud said, noting the Warriors had difficulty tooling the Waves' block.

Vanzant, the second left-side hitter, led the Warriors with 14 kills. But Clar had five kills and seven errors in 21 swings, and Schkud was pulled after the second game after producing three kills and four errors in 14 attempts.

"We beat ourselves in a lot of things," said Schkud, a co-captain. "I'll be the first to say I need to step it up out there."

Since the start of the rally-scoring system in 2001, the Waves have been the nation's most successful team, with a 118-31 record. This version follows the same model of accurate passing, a towering block and powerful cross-court hitting.

Winder, who has played for the junior national team, had his pick of poisoners: opposite Paul Carroll, who boomed left-handed shots; J.D. Schlepenbach, who sizzled crossing spikes, and Cory Riecks, a 6-8 freshman who repeatedly hit over the UH block. Carroll finished with a match-high 17 kills, and Schlepenbach and Riecks each had 12.

The Waves appeared to be focused, despite recent problems. The California fires forced many displaced residents to use Pepperdine as temporary shelter. The school was closed for two days.

But Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said his team was not distracted.

"When the whistle blows, you're either a volleyball player or you're not," Dunphy said.

Last night, the Waves had an answer for every Warrior rally. In Game 1, it was 15-all when a block and consecutive kills by Riecks and Carroll gave the Waves a lead they would not relinquish.

It was tied at 17 in Game 2, when Carroll scored on back-to-back angle shots. In Game 3, Carroll tied it at 18 with another crossing shot. Mark Hulse's tip gave the Waves the lead, and Carroll followed with a booming kill.

"We had a couple of runs that were good for us," Dunphy said.

"They were playing amazing," UH setter Nejc Zemljak said. "They're a really good team. I think they're going to be one of the front-runners for the national championship this year. We had good minutes, but we have to work on being more consistent."

Indeed, when the Warriors were in system running their quick offense, they were able to find gaps in the Waves' defense. But too often they struggled with their passing. The Waves scored 39 points on plays initiated by their serves; the Warriors scored 18 with their serves. "This is a reality check," Schkud said. "It's going to be a really good year or a really long year. As long as we run our system, we're capable of going anywhere."

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.