The Hawai'i volleyball team lost the featured exhibition match to Pepperdine — 31-33, 30-20, 36-34, 30-22 — but gained direction as it nears the end of its fall training.

Before 283 in the Stan Sheriff Center last night, the Warriors answered any concerns about the presence of a go-to hitter on the roster. Jake Schkud rebounded from Monday's mistake-filled performance to pound out 30 kills. He hit .471.

"He played the way we hoped he would when we first recruited him," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "I don't think we ever doubted his ability, but he raised the bar tonight. He did a really good job."

Schkud, a fifth-year senior who transferred from UC Santa Barbara after his freshman season, is starting at opposite attacker — his fourth position at UH. At opposite, Schkud has a smaller role as a passer, the only deficiency in his overall game. But as co-captain, he is shouldering more responsibilities.

"Jake was amazing," left-side hitter Matt Vanzant said. "He kept us above water the entire time."

Schkud said: "I'm glad I showed I could compete against a good team like Pepperdine."

Schkud's play could lead to an interesting scenario. Because freshman Keali'i Frank (torn abdominal muscle) was not available, Schkud's backup, Steven Grgas, started at middle blocker. Grgas assisted on six of the Warriors' nine blocks.

"We asked (Grgas) to take one for the team," Wilton said. "He has some background (at middle). It's an interesting thing for him to contemplate: let's see, get to play or be Jake's caddy all year long?"

Adding to the debate is the enrollment of a 6-7 middle from Serbia in January.

"We'll see how it goes," Grgas said. "I still have opposite. I'm working hard at it. We have off now for a little while (to) figure things out, work on my serve, work on my defense, figure where I should help the team out."

For now, the Warriors hope to build on their ability to dig powerful spikes from Pepperdine's Paul Carroll (23 kills) and Cory Riecks (18).

"They were digging us," Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said. "They forced us to play volleyball. For a while, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot."

Schkud said: "Pepperdine is a great team, but we showed we can compete with them."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.