"Middle blocking is a challenging job that requires more than jumping high," UH coach Mike Wilton said yesterday before leaving for the Warriors' road matches against UC Santa Barbara tomorrow and Friday. "Josh is learning that. He's got some real possibility to be a really good blocker."

In his second volleyball season since switching from the UH basketball team, the 6-foot-10, 205-pound Stanhiser has emerged as a key contributor. He was named to the all-tournament team of the Outrigger Hotels Volleyball Invitational last week.

The longer Stanhiser starts at middle blocker, the longer Wilton can continue the experiment of playing Delano Thomas at outside hitter. Thomas was an All-America middle blocker last season.

Stanhiser is seeing the light this year after being a deer in the headlights last season. "It was getting used to things," Stanhiser said. "In basketball, you can make the opponent do what you want, whereas in volleyball you have to outguess the opponent. I don't really like to guess, but you can't force the opponent to hit the ball right at you."

According to Wilton, "read blocking is 97 percent of the game from a blocker's standpoint." Wilton said the blocker must read these cues: ball (the pass to the setter), setter/hitter (the setter's placement and the positioning of the hitter), ball (the set to the hitter) and hitter (the swing).

"There's a lot of information that happens quickly," Wilton said. The sequence of "ball-setter/hitter-ball-hitter happens faster than I can say it. It's fast stuff. The best blockers are the guys who give the longest looks at the setter and at the hitter. For some (blockers), they pick that up quicker than others. For others, it's like a shell game. 'Where's the pea?' Josh is getting better."

Stanhiser's offense has expanded with the addition of a step-out move. Most middle blockers are fed quick sets. In the step-out technique, setter Brian Beckwith places the ball near the pin. With the same footwork as a basketball player taking off for a layup, Stanhiser goes up and attacks with a three-quarter-motion swing.

"On that set, it's a little bit higher and I'm actually jumping to the ball," Stanhiser said. "It allows me to see the block early, and I can go around it."

Stanhiser, who was raised in Loma Linda, Calif., attended a small college in Maryland before accepting a job as a task worker at Hawaiian Mission Academy. At the Seventh-day Adventist school, Stanhiser taught two classes. He was "discovered" by UH associate basketball coach Bob Nash while playing pick-up basketball on the Manoa campus.

Stanhiser is scheduled to earn his bachelor's degree in May. "Depending on how things pan out, I might stick around (Hawai'i) after that," he said.

• UH is No. 3: The Warriors are ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released yesterday. Pepperdine is No. 1, followed by UCLA.

"I'm good with it," UH coach Mike Wilton said, "but there's so much more season to go."

The Warriors went 2-1 in the Outrigger tournament, although their victory over Manitoba did not count toward the regular-season record.

• Health report: Alfred Reft, the starting libero, is playing despite a sprained right thumb. Reft suffered the injury when he hit the wall during practice last week. He has some discomfort when he sets or receives high serves.

The Warriors usually take only one libero on road trips. Outside hitters Arri Jeschke and Matt Bender can play libero in emergency situations. But Jeschke is competing against outside hitter Jose Delgado for playing time, and Bender is starting in place of injured Pedro Azenha.

That prompted Wilton to assign libero Jake Muise as Azenha's replacement on the travel roster. "Right now we don't have the luxury of another outside hitter playing (libero)," Wilton said.