With recruiting a demanding, daunting process involving everything from computer savvy to time, travel and skills analysis, volleyball coaches have a pretty good idea of what they are getting when players come to their program. For all the traits they can't analyze, such as guts, resilience, composure and desire, there are season openers.

Seventh-ranked Hawai'i starts its 2009 season tonight, playing Western Michigan in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at Stan Sheriff Center. Ninth-ranked UCLA takes on 25th-ranked Santa Clara in the first match at 5 p.m.

WMU is the only unranked team the 'Bows will play their first six matches, and the Broncos bring back all seven starters from last year's Sweet 16 squad. Coach Colleen Munson probably knows more about her team than any other coach this weekend, and still has many, many questions this week.

The Broncos rarely see ranked opponents, particularly from the West Coast, where the game kids grow up with is simply different than it is in the Midwest.

"There's no right or wrong, it's just different," Munson said. "We have to rise to the occasion and learn from it."

She worries most about distractions and focus this week. UCLA coach Andy Banachowski's concern, with a team that lost an All-America setter and libero, is more graphic.

"I don't want us to fall flat on our face and I don't think we will," said Banachowski, who should be joined by UH's Dave Shoji this season as the only coaches in their game with 1,000 wins. "We have kids who have to get used to playing college volleyball in a big-time setting like we have here. It's going to be a test for everybody here, a chance to evaluate."

Shoji is much more specific about what he would like to see, and avoid seeing. He wants "offensive production from everybody," improved passing and teammates who can hold it together through desperate times. For a guy who lost his best hitter and blocker to graduation, he sounds relatively serene.

"We need offense out of our second middle position," he said. "I know what we have out of the other positions. (Stephanie) Ferrell is going to be fine. We are not putting a lot of (Jamie) Houston's load on Ferrell. Everybody else has to step up a little bit. Ferrell has proven she can play against high-level competition. She's not physically where she wants to be or where we need her to be, but she's earned that spot."

A look at the teams:

NO. 7 HAWAI'I (31-4 IN 2008)

Lost three of its last four season openers ... Third-team All-American Kanani Danielson (5-10 So. OH) was West Region Freshman of the Year and became first freshman to earn Most Outstanding Player in a Hawai'i tournament, averaging 3 kills and digs and hitting .286 ... Aneli Cubi-Otineru (5-11 Sr. OH) and Dani Mafua (5-10 Jr. S) were honorable mention All-Americans and Amber Kaufman (6-0 Sr. MB) all-conference, as well as the NCAA's bronze medalist in high jump ... picked to win 12th consecutive WAC Championship.

NO. 9 UCLA (22-11)

Bruins have Kaitlin Sather (6-1 Sr. OH) and her four kills a set back after she missed last year with a shoulder injury ... Also returning are all-tall sophomore middle blockers Amanda Gil (6-6), the Pacific Region Freshman of the Year and sixth nationally in blocking (1.46), and Katie Camp (6-5) ... Dicey McGraw (5-11 Jr. OH) averaged nearly 3 kills last season and is one of just four upperclassmen ... freshman Lauren Cook (5-7 S), whose father John coaches Nebraska, is penciled in as replacement for three-time All-American Nellie Spicer ... picked to finish fourth in Pac-10 ... trails series with Hawai'i 32-34, but won last four, losing only one set.

NO. 25 SANTA CLARA (18-10)

Eight freshmen and transfer Emily Burke (5-10 Jr. S) from San Jose State join three starters back from WCC's fourth-place team ... Lindsy Davigeadono (6-3), one of just two seniors, will move from setter to hitter ... Tanya Schmidt (6-2 So. MB) was on WCC's all-freshman team ... expects to run two-setter offense with Burke, one of three juniors, and Alexandra Palmer (5-7 Fr.).

WESTERN MICHIGAN (28-7)

All seven returning starters are seniors or juniors ... Caitlin Strimel (5-11 Sr. L) is career digs leader and two-time MAC Defensive Player of Year, who ranked 17th nationally last year with 5.13 digs ... Jillian Mitchell (5-7 Sr.) was 2008 MAC Setter of Year and ranked 15th nationally with 11.4 assists ... Michelle Moore (5-10 Sr.) is two-time all-MAC hitter and averaged team-high 3.89 kps last year ... reached fifth Sweet 16 last year, but first since 1987 ... picked to win Mid-American Conference ... lost last 16 against Top-25 opponents.