As the level of intensity elevated, so did Spyros Chakas’ performance.

In a duel of No. 23s, Pepperdine’s Jaylen Jasper finished with the higher kill total on Wednesday night, but the numbers that mattered most belonged to Chakas and No. 1 Hawaii in the Rainbow Warriors’ four-set win over the seventh-ranked Waves.

With All-America setter Jakob Thelle running the attack again, Chakas posted his second double-double of the season and third of his career with 18 kills and a career-high 12 digs and the Warriors (14-0) set a program record with their 27th consecutive home win before a crowd of 4,131 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

Thelle returned from a four-match load management absence and set the Warriors to a .420 hitting performance in the 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory as UH ran its overall winning streak to 23.

“It was our first game having Jakob back, so I think that gave us a big boost as a team,” Chakas said. “We were all happy to see him out there competing again and I think we handled it well. The second set was kind of sloppy, but we started well and we finished it pretty good.

“It’s a different motivation. Just doing my best to help the team win and that’s all that matters in the end. I think everyone did a great job where they needed to today.”

Thelle finished with 42 assists in his first appearance since UH’s sweep at Stanford on Feb. 11. He sat out the next four matches to rest his knees while Brett Sheward ran the offense. Sheward returned to his customary spot at libero with Thelle’s return to the lineup.

“It think it comes quickly back,” Thelle said of getting back into the rhythm of the match.

“It was a little shaky in the beginning in the first set, not sure what happened there, but just accepting that and going for the next ball and we got a lot better throughout the game. The middles were really effective and they did a good job as well as the pin hitters, and just getting back into the connections. My braddahs always got me.”

With former UH standout Costas Theocharidis in the stands, Chakas had just two errors in 31 attacks for a .516 hitting percentage and Dimitrios Mouchlias put away his 15th kill on match point.

Middle blocker Guilherme Voss finished with nine kills in 13 swings and Cole Hogland was in on six blocks. Outside hitter Chaz Galloway finished with six kills in 21 swings, but teamed with Hogland on back-to-back blocks late in the third set and also set a career high with six total.

The Warriors (14-0) and Waves (10-7) meet again on Friday with the presentation of UH’s 2022 national championship rings to follow the rematch.

“Good to get back out here against a really high-level team and a high level of competition and this is what it’s going to be like going forward for sure,” UH coach Charlie Wade said.

Jasper, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week, entered the week second in the country with five kills per set and built on that average in finishing with a match-high 26 kills on 47 attempts with four errors.

Pepperdine scored the first three points of the match with Bryce Dvorak sending an ace off UH’s back row. Thelle set Voss in the middle to stop the run then fueled a 5-0 run from the service line.

“It definitely builds some confidence getting my serve back,” Thelle said. “It’s been a couple months of having pain. So serving without pain felt really good.”

UH’s fortunes seemed to follow their efficiency from the service line throughout the night. Chakas, Mouchlias and Keoni Thiim delivered aces in UH’s 11-5 surge to close the first set, but the Warriors’ committed six service errors in the second to aid as Pepperdine evened the match.

UH edged ahead 22-21 in the pivotal third set when Wade summoned senior Kanai Akana to serve and the blocks by Hogland and Galloway, first on Jasper then on middle Akin Akinwumi, pushed UH to set point.

Wade praised Akana for “coming in off the bench and really getting three in a row inbounds and being able to set our defense up.

“It’s nice when you push the button for that serving sub and it’s that effective,” Wade said.

Chakas, Thiim and Mouchlias delivered aces again in the fourth set as UH raced out to a 19-9 lead. The Waves put together a 6-0 run with Joe Deluzio serving three aces in a row, the last two trickling over the tape before falling to the court. But a Galloway kill snapped the run and Mouchlias closed the match with his 15th kill.