At the volleyball crossroads, Hawai'i's Josh Walker opted to go left.

"That's where I'm comfortable," Walker said of his decision to remain as a left-side hitter, where he will compete against freshmen Steven Hunt and Gus Tuaniga for the two starting positions.

In most volleyball offenses, the left-side hitters are required to be passers. Walker is admittedly the least accurate passer of the three contenders.

Passing, Walker said, "is like Kryptonite for me."

One option was for Walker to move to opposite attacker, where he would hit from the right side in front-row rotations. In opting to stay put, Walker believed it would be easier to improve his passing than learn to play on the right side.

"I've never played on the right side before," Walker said. "It's not just hitting. It's blocking. It's defensive positioning. All of that stuff is a lot different. The hitters I'll be blocking against on the left side are different from the ones on the right."

UH head coach Mike Wilton said he left the decision to Walker.

"There's no point in asking somebody to do something if (his) heart's not in it," Wilton said.

Walker was an efficient passer in helping Tallwood High win the Virginia state championship in 2004.

"I passed all of the time in high school," said Walker, a sophomore. "College serving is a lot different than in high school. When I got to college, the level of servers went up, and the kinds of passing schemes and hitting schemes add up. It's a lot harder than people might think."

Ric Cervantes, UH's libero and primary passer, has offered tips on using the forearms to provide a stable platform.

"When he passes the ball, you can see in his face he tenses up," Cervantes said. "He needs to relax and let the ball come to him. ... That's his biggest issue. He's not relaxed when he's passing. I always tell him that."

Walker spends extra time before and after practices working on his passing.

"I'm getting more consistent," Walker said. "I'm capable of passing a perfect ball. I have to be able to do that more often. If I can work on passing like I've been the past couple of weeks, I'll be able to be put into a game in passing situations."

Wilton said: "He's getting reps on the left side, and he's looking pretty good. He's a wonderful guy. He's very devoted."

The Warriors host Cal State Northridge Friday and Saturday in the Stan Sheriff Center.