In a performance that was part rosy and part thorny, the Hawai'i men's volleyball team delivered a 25-30, 30-26, 30-24 26-30, 15-13 victory over UCLA last night.

A crowd of 1,414 in the Stan Sheriff Center saw UH's Mike Wilton earn his 300th career coaching victory, and the Warriors avenge a five-game loss to the Bruins in last month's Outrigger Invitational.

The Warriors overcame their own fickle play and the Bruins' mystery-date lineup.

"We tried to give it away," Wilton said. "That's us. We can look really good at times, and then in a twinkling of an eye, we look like we haven't spent much time in the gym. But we keep banging away at it and trying to get better. And we're getting better. Our guys did a nice job."

Indeed, the Warriors were able to answer several challenges. Although they had pedestrian hitting percentages, Jim Clar and Joshua Walker brought enough firepower from the left side to keep the Bruins' towering block on the heels of their adidas. Clar, who has fully recovered from an abdominal strain, had a team-high 18 kills, and Walker, the new go-to hitter, finished with 13 kills. Walker also was the server when the Warriors increased their 6-4 lead to 9-4 in the first-to-15 fifth game.

"You go all out," Walker said of his renewed confidence in his jump serve. "You have to try and take it. You can't let things get to you. That's the thing."

The match marked Sean Carney's return as the Warriors' starting setter. Carney was moved to outside hitter in an experiment that last 3 1/2 matches. The transition was not easy for Carney, who played despite a sprained left index finger.

Team trainer Tara Humphreys came up with a unique wrapping that padded the injured finger but gave him the flexibility to set accurately.

"The past week and a half (the finger) was hurting," Carney said. "She tried out the new tape job that nobody's ever done before. She tried it out on Tuesday, and it was perfect. All the credit goes to how she taped my hand."

Humphreys said: "I just made it up. I taped it up, and it worked, so we stuck with it."

The Warriors had a more difficult time solving the Bruins' lineup changes. The Bruins' best passer, Tony Ker, did not play because of a strained left hamstring. Thomas Hastings, a freshman making his season debut, started at libero.

Then near the end of Game 4, the Bruins summoned outside hitter Ryal Jagd, who also was making his first appearance of the season. Jagd is a reserve wide receiver on UCLA's football team.

"It doesn't matter who they bring in," UH opposite hitter Jake Schkud said. "They're all good. Every player is top notch. But when they bring in a new guy, we don't have any stats on him. When we figure it out, it's too late."

Jagd buried 10 kills in his cameo appearance. "It's just volleyball," he said of his lack of game experience. "I know how to play volleyball. I try to bring some intensity to the court."

Jagd found the floor with his blistering angle shots. Twice, he blasted spikes through triple blocks. But in a twist, his last attempt — a roll shot — floated wide for match point. Frustrated, he covered his face with his jersey.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.