Box Score

HONOLULU - The second-ranked Warriors came-up a little short in their bid to upset No. 1 Pepperdine tonight, 30-24, 28-30, 26-30, 28-30 despite a match-high 25 kills from All-American Costas Theocharidis and double-double performances by fellow seniors Eyal Zimet and Tony Ching.

Theocharidis' fourth double-double showing of the season saw the school's all-time kills leader add 10 digs to his fourth 20-plus kill effort in his last five outings. Theocharidis also led Hawaii with four total blocks.

Zimet, a native of Kibbutz Ein Hammifratz, Israel, recorded 13 kills on a blistering .478 attack percentage for his fourth double-digit kill evening of the season. Zimet's was credited with 10 digs.

Ching added a match-high 11 digs to his 13 kills to help the Warrior cause. Tonight's performance was the 6-foot-2 senior's third double-double of the season and his career. Ching leads the Warriors with five double-digit dig matches.

Middle blockers Delano Thomas and Brian Nordberg enjoyed fine offensive performances in the effort. Thomas put-down 15 kills with just one error in 25 attacks for a .560 hitting percentage, while Nordberg hit .467, with eight kills and only on error in 15 swings.

Hawaii rode the outstanding play of Thomas and a couple of late runs to take the first game from the top-ranked Waves. Thomas, a 6-foot-7 middle blocker, registered four of the Warriors' first six points to open the match, putting-down three kills in as many attempts while also recording a block assist. Thomas completed the first game with a match-high seven kills with no errors in eight swings to hit .875 in the stanza.

The Warriors held the 15-14 advantage at the midway point, even though Theocharidis had yet to record his first kill of the evening. Theocharidis got hot toward the homestretch, with all five of his kills in game one coming over Hawaii's final 10 points.

A four point rally and a seven point rally helped spur the Warriors late in the frame. A Pepperdine attack error preceded by a pair of Theocharidis' kills helped Hawaii move from its 19th point to its 22nd. After the Waves put-up a point of their own, the Warriors ripped-off three more consecutive points capped by kills from Thomas and Theocharidis to take a 24-17 advantage.

The Waves held-off a late charge from the Warriors to even the match at a game apiece, with Fred Winters' seven kills leading the charge. Game two saw both squads find their offensive rhythm, as Hawaii out hit Pepperdine, .529-to-.487. Senior middle Brian Nordberg remained hot through two games, hitting .750 with six kills and no attack errors in his second start of the season.

Pepperdine jumped-out to a quick lead in game three, posting an 8-3 advantage early in the set. The Waves, who led 15-11 at the media timeout, held-off the Warriors the rest of the way, taking the 2-1 lead with the 30-26 victory.

The fourth and final game was the best of the night, as the Warriors and Waves battled point-for-point early on, tying each other at every point until Pepperdine pulled-away to a 9-7 lead. Theocharidis carried the brunt of the load in the final game, taking 19 swings while recording seven kills. The Warriors and Waves virtually went point-for-point again from 15-15 until the end of the game.

Hawaii and Pepperdine will face-off again on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Stan Sheriff Center. KFVE "The Home Team" will air the match on TV and over the internet, while KKEA AM 1420 will provide radio and internet coverage as well. Both KFVE's video stream and KKEA's broadcast can be accessed at the Hawaii athletics website at http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu.