"Four minutes to go!" middle blocker Steven Ggras yelled to everyone in particular as he led the countdown to yesterday's start of the University of Hawai'i volleyball team's training camp.

The collective giddiness was in contrast to the gloom of 2008, the first time in more than 30 years of coaching that Mike Wilton finished a regular season with a losing record.

"I see great things happening," said outside hitter Jim Clar, who was voted as team captain. "I'm very optimistic."

During fall training camp, Wilton implored a return to basics.

He toughened the workouts — only those who raced up Frank Street in a specified time earned practice shirts — and harped on fundamentals, such as accurate passing and serving.

He also crafted "starting points" of a lineup featuring freshman outside hitters Gus Tuaniga and Steven Hunt. They were rewarded because of their skill in getting the ball quickly to setter Sean Carney.

"I love passing," Tuaniga said.

Last year's breakdown in passing contributed to the Warriors' low hitting percentage.

Now, Carney said: "I don't have to run every time. I think our passers are more confident. I'm confident in them."

The addition of Tuaniga and Hunt has a two-fold effect. It frees Joshua Walker, a third-year sophomore, to become the go-to attacker. It also ends Grgas' experiment as an opposite attacker.

Moving back to the middle, Grgas acknowledged, is "what the team needs." He was a successful perimeter hitter in the fall camp. But he did not make the trip to Canada because of a concussion. After that, it was decided he should move back to the middle.

"I would love to play (opposite)," Grgas said. "I still have one more year (after this season). Things change all of the time. We'll see. I'll play middle for now."

Jarrod Lofy is tentatively listed as the other starting middle. Lofy redshirted last season. He had considered moving back to California because of financial reasons, but was able to find a workable solution when he changed majors. As a student in his particular architecture program, he was required to pay the full non-resident tuition. When he switched majors, to civil engineering, he became eligible for the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, which charges participants roughly 1.5 times the tuition fee that residents pay.

"Now I'm able to afford (tuition)," Lofy said. "(WUE) helps out a lot."

UH received a boost in the middle with the return of Matt "Dragon" Rawson, who underwent offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right shoulder. Although he still has some ligament damage in his left (non-hitting) shoulder, he has received medical clearance to play.

"It's coming along," said Rawson, who worked out but did not play in exhibition matches in the fall.

Starting libero Ric Cervantes, a junior, is ready to assume a leadership role.

This semester, for the first time in his UH career, Cervantes was awarded a partial scholarship. He earned it based on his improved grade-point average.

"I needed to figure everything out," Cervantes said of his academic ascent. "The first year, I was just an idiot. The second year, I figured it out. This year, I have to keep it going."

He added: "I'm a leader now. I have to act like it. I have to lead by example. I have to lead in the classroom and on the court."

Outside hitter Jake Schkud was last season's only senior. But UH also lost middle blocker Keali'i Frank, who is no longer in school; setter Sam Morehouse, who opted not to play this season, and outside hitter Matias Brizuela, who apparently moved back to Paraguay. Outside hitter Nemanja Komar became the student manager.

Still, Cervantes insisted, "we actually have depth his year. Last year, when one person went down, we were (in trouble). Case in point: Matt Vanzant (who left the team because of personal reasons). I think we're going to do a lot better this year."

Clar, who has recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, can play all three outside positions. There are three middles. And Nejc Zemljak is an experienced backup to Carney.

What's more, Walker, who has gained 10 pounds and now weighs 185, is poised to become the first go-to hitter since Pedro Azenha.

"I want the ball a lot more," Walker said.

He will get his chance in Thursday's opener of the three-night Outrigger Hotels Invitational in the Stan Sheriff Center. The round-robin field includes Penn State, Ohio State and Southern California.