Stirred or shaken, Hawai'i could not find the right mix in a 30-27, 20-30, 30-24, 23-30, 15-13 volleyball loss to Southern California last night in the Stan Sheriff Center.

A Valentine's Night crowd of 1,558 watched the Warriors lose their seventh in a row to drop into 10th place in the 12-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Only the top eight compete in the league's postseason tournament.

The Warriors squandered leads of 22-16 in Game 1 and 9-6 in the first-to-15 fifth game.

After the match, UH coach Mike Wilton said: "It's the same old storyline: Silver linings. We beat ourselves. Back to the drawing board."

The Warriors were without their best overall player, left-side hitter Lauri Hakala, who is suffering from an abdominal strain. By the end of the third game, they had substituted at every position but libero and the two middles. Sean Carney finished setting Game 3, in place of floor captain Brian Beckwith, and started the final two games.

"I didn't like what was going on," Wilton said in deciding to change the steersman. "Truth be told, Sean did a nice job. That's why we have more than one player at every position. He wasn't the reason we lost."

Wilton said the Warriors committed too many unforced mistakes. Two service errors sparked USC's resurgence in the final game.

"When we got down in the past, we folded and broke down," USC setter Jimmy Killian said. "This year we're really putting an emphasis on playing as a team. When we have those down times, it's everybody coming together and bringing support."

Last night, it was outside hitter Juan Figueroa leading the way, blasting 35 animated kills.

"He's a spectacle to watch," Killian said. "He flies through the air. He never seems to get tired. He plays with a lot of enthusiasm."

Figueroa said: "I'm Puerto Rican. That's what we're known for, being full of energy. That's the way I play."

The rematch is tomorrow. Wilton said he has not decided on a lineup.

"We're young at three key spots (on the outside)," Wilton said. "As soon as we grow into those spots, we're going to be a formidable team. I really believe that."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.