The Hawai'i volleyball team withstood Pepperdine's frenetic comeback attempt for a 30-26, 30-23, 26-30, 23-30, 15-13 victory yesterday in the Firestone Fieldhouse at Malibu, Calif.

The outcome softened the disappointment of a Warrior season that ended without a berth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs for the first time since 1993.

The Warriors finished 11-16 overall and 8-14 in the MPSF.

Joshua Walker led the Warriors with 18 kills. Jake Schkud, UH's only senior, had 17 kills in his final collegiate match.

Because of injuries, the Warriors shuffled their lineup the entire season. For the final two matches, coach Mike Wilton allowed Schkud to play opposite attacker, his most comfortable position. That meant setter Sean Carney had to play left-side hitter.

After nearly squandering the match with a one-sided loss in Game 4, the Warriors played steadily in the first-to-15 fifth game. "We were just really mentally tough," Wilton said.

Pepperdine's Paul Carroll had a match-high 27 kills.