Managing to sprint during a volleyball marathon, Loyola-Chicago outlasted host Hawai'i, 30-23, 32-30, 28-30, 31-29, 15-7, in the opening round of the 13th Outrigger Invitational Friday night.

A crowd of 1,963 saw the Warriors lose in the tournament opener for only the second time.

"Disappointing," said coach Mike Wilton, whose third-ranked Warriors fell to 2-3. "That's the way we need to feel."

UH opposite attacker Jim Clar blasted a career-high 22 kills and left-side hitter Lauri Hakala added 17. But they combined for 19 attack errors. Starter Matt Vanzant and Jake Schkud could not provide an offensive oomph at the second left-side position.

"We had no firepower on the left at all," Wilton said. "The Lauri experiment didn't work so good tonight."

Nearly two weeks ago, Hakala moved from opposite, where he was named to the All-America first team last season, to the left side. Hakala is the team's most accurate left-side passer, evidenced by his match-high 15 digs. But his offensive production has dipped while he adjusts to hitting the longer sets.

Wilton faces this dilemma: Is Hakala more valuable as an attacker or passer?

"Cart ... horse ... cart ... horse," Wilton said. "He's a very good passer. Passing is so key to what we do."

But that is a debate for another time. For now, Wilton is trying to figure out how the Warriors could not close after building a 25-21 lead in Game 4.

With All-America middle James Grunst slamming quick sets and 6-foot outside hitter Krisjanis Berzins ricocheting shots off the block, the Ramblers scored five unanswered points to take a 26-25 lead. They finished off Game 4 when Nick Lamoureaux and Ian Anderson double-blocked an angle shot — the sixth time Hakala was blocked in the match.

The Ramblers scored seven of the final eight points in the first-to-15 final game.

"Our team is all about working hard," Loyola setter Brian Guntli said.

The Ramblers entered without their two injured starting left-side hitters. They also faced a team that was leading the nation in blocking. That's when the Ramblers decided to crank up the rpm of the offense.

"We're not big," Loyola coach Shane Davis said, "so we like to move the ball quickly. We don't want the blockers to have a lot of time to see what's going on."

Fortunately for Guntli, his best weapons — 6-foot-8 Grunst in the middle and 6-4 Anderson on the back side — require short and quick sets. "We play in a small gym (in Chicago)," Davis said. "If we go too high, we'll hit the rafters."

Grunst hammered 16 kills, with one error, in 24 swings.

"Obviously, James is one of the top middles in the country," Davis said. "We like to give him the ball as much as possible. The faster we run it, the better."

Grunst said: "I tried to get up in the air as fast as I could to open up everything. If they focus on me, that gives more opportunities to the other guys."

The left-handed Anderson benefitted the most, receiving 58 of the Ramblers' 148 sets. Anderson, who can touch 11 feet 7, powered shot after shot with a full-bodied motion.

"I'm trying to hit the floor every single time with the ball," Anderson said.

Although he struggled with his aim, committing 11 attack errors, he demanded attention from the UH block.

"He's a workhorse," Guntli said of Anderson. "He'll play all night. He's going to sleep in the locker room right now."

Libero Zach Bailey said the Ramblers noticed the Warriors were not aggressive with their first serves.

"Our goal was to sideout on first balls every time," Bailey said. "We didn't want them to get an opportunity to rip at it."

BYU POUNDS PSU

In the earlier match, second-ranked Brigham Young pounded nine aces, including four by outside hitter Ivan Perez, in a 30-22, 30-23, 30-18 rout of Penn State.

The Cougars improved to 7-0. The Nittany Lions are 1-2.

Asked about his success off a jump-and-twist serve, Perez said: "I have no idea. It's great to play with this great team. They bring the best out of me. That's all."

Ryan Millar, BYU's co-head coach, said the Cougars took advantage of playing at sea level. In Provo, Utah, serves sail "a good two feet" extra, Millar said. In Hawai'i, the serves sink, creating a difficult movement.

"The guys can get on top (of the serve) and bang it a little better," Millar said.

Middle blocker Russell Holmes and opposite attacker Robby Stowell each had 11 kills for BYU.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.