The good ol' days were reprised in one special night as the University of Hawai'i volleyball team cruised to a 30-25, 30-25, 30-26 victory over Cal State Northridge.

The Warriors served tough, passed accurately, kept alive plays with an active defense and won rallies.

"We were determined we were going to take a win, and we did," said opposite attacker Lauri Hakala, who hammered 16 kills in 31 error-free swings. "That's how we can play. If we play like this, we can beat anybody."

In winning for the second time in the past 11 matches, the Warriors improved to 4-14 overall and 4-11 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

"It actually feels normal," setter Brian Beckwith said of the Warriors' first sweep since Jan. 18. "We've been thinking we can do this all year. There's no reason why we can't. Why not act like it happens all of the time? That's what it feels like."

The Warriors were playing only their second match with a lineup in which freshman libero Ric Cervantes and left-side hitters Eric Kalima and Matt Vanzant were primary passers. Kalima had played libero for 13 consecutive matches until switching to outside hitter.

"It's great having Eric at outside, because it basically gives us two liberos on the court," Beckwith said.

Although Kalima struggled offensively (two kills and five errors in 14 swings), he made nine digs, efficiently passed the Matadors' mixture of jump and float-dancing serves, and contributed to four of the Warriors' 11.5 blocks.

"He does so many other things," UH coach Mike Wilton said of Kalima. "He plays with so much heart. It's very contagious. We may have to sub him out sometimes to get a swing, but he's got to at least start for us."

Kalima also helped the Warriors amass nine "converts" — digs that turned into ensuing kills.

On one play, Kalima made an off-balanced, one-handed dig that led to a Matador attack error. On another, he kept alive a play with a back-to-the-net diving save.

"I banged my hip on that one," Kalima said. "I'll do anything to make a dig. If I can keep the ball in play, it gives the other players a chance to bang away."

Despite playing with injuries to both knees, Kalima refuses to wear knee pads.

"It's a little sore when I roll out of bed in the morning," Kalima said. "It's all right. It toughens me up. I'm a little busted up. But there are only a few more weeks left in the season, so I'll go ahead and give it my all."

Hakala, meanwhile, has re-adjusted to opposite attacker, which is aligned on the right side in five of six rotation turns. The right-side attacker receives more sets but fewer opportunities to pass.

Hakala, who still is recovering from an abdominal strain, entered hitting .194 — 177 points lower than last year, when he was an All-America opposite. He moved to the left side earlier in the year, then returned to opposite last week.

"I don't think about those numbers," Hakala said. "I'm focused on winning. All I know" — he pointed to the Stan Sheriff Center scoreboard — "is we have '3' and they have '0.' Those are the statistics I want to see."

The Warriors also used tough serves to sabotage the Matadors' offensive rhythm.

Kalima's jump serves led to 11 points. The Warriors scored 10 points on Beckwith's jump serves.

"If I get a good toss, I have no problem taking a good rip at it," said Beckwith, who had three aces. "I've been getting good tosses, and we were scoring points with it."

The Matadors could not answer. This was their first MPSF match without libero Ali'i Keohohou, who suffered a broken leg two weeks ago.

Isaac Kneubuhl moved to libero, de-activating him as a hitter. A libero is not allowed to block or attack.

"This is a new lineup for us," CSUN coach Jeff Campbell said. "We've got to adjust and make sure we get a little better."

The Matadors gave away 45 points — 23 on attack errors and 22 on missed serves.

Their two corner hitters — Eric Vance and Dan Rhodes — combined for 16 attack errors.

"They're a very good team," Wilton said of the Matadors. "That's why it was a nice win. Our players practiced hard. They played well tonight. They deserved this."

The rematch is tonight.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.