Every player has a specific place on the Hawai'i men's volleyball team, and a first-year Warrior's place is on the set-up and clean-up crews.

But on this morning, long after practice had ended, setter Sean Carney, a co-captain and fourth-year junior, was taking down the volleyball nets and posts.

"I can't do much now," said Carney, who has a fracture in his right (hitting) hand, "but I want to help out as much as I can."

Carney will not be available to set for the Warriors in exhibition matches against Pepperdine tomorrow and Tuesday in the Stan Sheriff Center.

He has been told his recovery can take between two weeks and two months. He is hopeful of resuming workouts in three weeks and, in the worst scenario, still be ready for the Jan. 3 start of the regular season.

"By the opener, I should be 100 percent," Carney vowed.

For now, Carney and the other co-captain, opposite attacker Jake Schkud, are focused on preparing a team that lost four starters to graduation. Carney, his right hand covered with a splint and heavy tape, stood on a box and hit left-handed shots at the passers after Friday's practice. Schkud helped shag errant hits.

"We're a little beat up in some positions," Schkud said. "But I feel pretty good about our team."

In the "cauldron system," in which points are accumulated for performances in practices during a 10-day cycle, Schkud out-scored Steven Grgas to win the opposite attacker's job.

Carney and Njec Zemljak, a second-year freshman from Slovenia, were competing for the setter's job before Carney suffered the hand injury when he tripped and fell while moving into his new home.

Believing it was only a bruise, he delayed seeking treatment until the hand began to swell.

"I went to the hospital, and they said I broke it," Carney said.

He said his next scheduled X-ray is in two weeks.

While he wants to play against Pepperdine, Carney said, "there's no need to hurry into it. I don't want to mess up my hand for the regular season."

There are matches at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. each night. With freshman Sam Morehouse redshirting this season, Zemljak will play in all four exhibition matches.

"I'm not going to complain about it," said Zemljak, who redshirted last season. "I like to get a lot of reps. I haven't played (regularly) in a long while. That redshirt year took a long time."

Head coach Mike Wilton described Zemljak as a "very intellectual guy. Sometime he may over-analyze things too much. He works hard. Sean works hard, too."

With Keali'i Frank unavailable because of a torn abdominal muscle, outside hitter Brennon Dyer will start at one of the middle positions.

The other UH starters are middle blocker Matt Rawson, left-side hitters Matt Vanzant and Jim Clar, and libero Ric Cervantes.

"I wish Nejc the best," Carney said. "Pepperdine is so excellent in what it does. It'll be tough because Pepperdine is a really good team with such high-caliber players. But I think we can pull it out."

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.