"Aloha" was the kindest greeting the Penn State men's volleyball team received over the weekend at the Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Top-ranked foes Hawaii (3-2) and UCLA (5-1) slammed the Nittany Lions (2-2) in the first two games of the invitational, but Penn State bounced back in the final game, defeating Lewis (0-3).

In their opening-round match of the event, No. 5 Hawaii (3-2) ousted the Lions in three games (21-30, 22-30, 27-30).

While Hawaii posted a .562 hitting percentage, the Lions struggled and hit a meager .247. Penn State was also outblocked 8-2.

Junior Zeljko Koljesar led the Lions with 14 kills, down from a team-high 20 against Ohio State. Senior setter Jose Quinones tabbed 36 assists compared to 57 in the Lions' first game.

The efforts of Koljesar and Quinones were not enough to overcome Hawaii's returning AVCA Player of the Year Costas Theocharidis.

Theocharidis recorded 21 kills on 30 attempts with one error for a .667 hitting percentage.

"We had opportunity after opportunity," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "Hawaii was in a position to take advantage and they rocked us."

Penn State has not defeated Hawaii during the regular season since May 1995.

Friday, the Lions were coming off of a loss and were looking to rebound, while No. 2 UCLA (5-1) was fresh off a win against Lewis and was looking to stay hot.

However, despite three Penn State players with double-digit kills, UCLA brewed up a storm too powerful for the Lions.

The Lions once again fell in three games (36-38, 20-30, 31-33).

Juniors Carlos Guerra, Zach Slenker, and Zeljko Koljesar combined for a strong effort, contributing 42 kills. Quinones led the Penn State offense, dishing out 51 assists, and senior Jason Hawkins added a team-high six digs.

The Bruins had three players of their own that scored double-digit kills. Freshman Jonathan Acosta led the Bruins with 17 kills, while senior Matt Komer and Cameron Mount added 14 and 11, respectively.

Acosta and Komer each hit over .570, helping the Bruins to finish with a .500 hitting percentage to Penn State's .353.

Penn State stayed close with UCLA for most of the match, but could not get the big points.

"We needed to bring heat and put some balls away," Pavlik said.

UCLA went on to defeat Hawaii to win their fifth consecutive Outrigger Invitational championship.

The Lions wrapped up their Hawaiian trip Saturday with punch as they defeated Lewis (0-3) in three games (30-20, 30-27, 30-26). Penn State had not defeated Lewis since March 28, 1997, when they won in four games.

Slenker and Koljesar lead the Lions with 15 kills each. In addition to seven block assists, Slenker hit .833 on the night, shattering his week-old rally scoring record of .727.

Koljesar's .619 hitting percentage also helped lift the Lions to victory. Quinones played a major role in the Lions' offensive attack with 47 assists, four digs, and five block assists. Guerra lead the team with six digs.

Penn State asserted its blocking game and dominated the serving game, managing 12 ace serves, while Lewis could only muster two.

The difference in the Lions' pouncing of Lewis was that Penn State followed the game plan immaculately, Pavlik said.

The Lions finished the Outrigger winning one of three matches, which was two less than they wanted to win.

Pavlik cited a lack of offensive production from the outside as the reason for the team's performance early in the event.

"We're still going to keep our long-range goal in sight," Pavlik said.

"When you come to the Outrigger, it gives you a chance to evaluate."