The University of Hawai'i volleyball team is packing several rolls of quarters for a final road trip that could last between three and 17 nights.

"We plan on having a lot of change for laundry," head coach Mike Wilton said.

The Warriors will play UC Irvine in Saturday night's opening round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.

If the Warriors win that match, they advance to the semifinals in Malibu, Calif., the following Thursday.

Top-ranked Pepperdine also is hosting the MPSF championship match. The tournament winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA final four next month in Columbus, Ohio.

In any scenario, the ninth-ranked Warriors will not return to Hawai'i until their season is over. That means the Warriors, who leave Thursday afternoon, could be on the road for up to 2 1/2 weeks.

If the sixth-seeded Warriors were to defeat No. 3 Irvine, "it would be too quick of a turnaround to come home and then go back to the Mainland," Wilton said. "That wouldn't work."

Wilton recalled that in 1995, the Warriors lost to UCLA in the MPSF title match in Los Angeles, returned to Honolulu the next day and then, a day later, traveled to Springfield, Mass., for the NCAA final four.

"Our team was wasted," Wilton said of the Warriors, who lost both matches in the final four. "It got worse the longer we were there."

But the Warriors' grand plans mean little if they lose to Irvine. In January, the Anteaters won both matches against the Warriors. Back then, opposite attacker Lauri Hakala was a left-side hitter and middle blocker Dio Dante was ailing.

"We had a bunch of things going on," Wilton said. "There's been some evolving since then."

SETTER SIGNS AGREEMENT

Sam Morehouse, a 6-foot-1 setter from Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif., signed a scholarship agreement to finalize his commitment to UH.

Morehouse received offers from UC Irvine and Long Beach State. Morehouse said the Warriors were the first to show interest, and he came away impressed with the program after a recruiting visit in February.

Morehouse is a member of the prestigious Balboa Bay Volleyball Club. He also competes on youth national teams.

"I'm pretty much all into volleyball," said Morehouse, who picked up the sport when he was 11 after watching his brother compete in a tournament. His father, David Morehouse, was a member of the national team in 1981 and 1982.

Brian Beckwith is completing his NCAA eligibility this semester, leaving Sean Carney and Nejc Zemljak as the Warriors' returning setters.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.