The more Brittany Hewitt appears, the more that large question mark in Hawai'i's volleyball lineup disappears. Saturday, 10th-ranked Stanford never noticed the Rainbow Wahine were searching for their final starter.

Nine matches into her collegiate career, the redshirt freshman ranks ninth nationally in blocks. Her 6-foot-3 wingspan is responsible for 1.52 blocks a set for the fourth-ranked Rainbows, who average less than 2.5 as a relatively short team.

Her huge smile and utter joy are ... priceless. "She is very bubbly, I love her," junior Dani Mafua said. "She always has good energy."

If Hewitt's game can be as constant as her cheerfulness, Hawai'i has a shot at staying at the level that sank Stanford. That is the goal as the 'Bows head into their final preseason series Friday and Saturday against 25th-ranked Pepperdine.

The Cardinal sweep was a remarkably sweet reminder of what is possible this season, after opening week success was beaten down by losses to second-ranked Texas and then-10th-ranked Cal. Hawai'i's middles were in the center of the perfect storm against Stanford, with Hewitt and senior Amber Kaufman combining for 22 kills and hitting an astounding .690. Hewitt also dropped in on five of her team's seven stuffs.

"She became a woman," Kaufman grinned. "She's opening my eyes."

The hardest part for Hewitt last year was coming from volleyball-challenged Idaho, where she was a two-time player of the year, to the warp-speed pace of top-10 collegiate volleyball. "I knew it would be faster, I just didn't know how much," she said. "It was ... fast."

The harder part now will be to keep up the pace she set against Santa Clara, Texas-San Antonio and Stanford. In those three matches she averaged 10 kills and nearly four blocks, and hit .585; in the other six she had a combined 14 kills and nine blocks, with a .140 hitting percentage.

Senior Stephanie Brandt only sees Hewitt's numbers going up, with the improvement more about mindset than physicality.

"She's much faster this year," Brandt said. "Just her speed as a blocker and hitter. It's a mentality, she's aggressive. It's go fast, go fast."

Hewitt had time to make the adjustment last year when she redshirted.

"It took some pressure off knowing I was not ready to go into the game and thank goodness I was not going in," she said. "It was a tough situation to be in, but definitely worth the wait. In the periods when I was frustrated, I had to keep reminding myself there was way too much to learn."

Now that time is gone. She came into this season with the goal of starting and worked particularly hard on blocking technique, to "make sure my hands are separate from my body." Coaches want her hands reaching over the net instead of in a direct line with her body.

"It felt very unnatural at first," Hewitt admitted, "but the coaches told me if it feels unnatural I got it right."

Her starting battle with 6-4 transfer Alexis Forsyth is separated only by Hewitt's blocking skills, according to UH coach Dave Shoji, who calls Hewitt "a little more advanced." The competition has clearly helped both players and should ultimately benefit the 'Bows.

It certainly seemed that way Saturday. Hawai'i has rarely seen such a dominant performance from its middle attack. Brandt called Mafua's connection with the middle "perfect" that night and Mafua said she could feel Hewitt's confidence growing by the block and set.

While Kaufman's performance was no surprise, Hewitt's ability to get open and make blockers pay for cheating to the outside was.

"Brittany is still a pup, she will get stronger and more dynamic," Shoji said. "She's not Amber, not flying around the court. She's more of a plodder, but she's plodding more steadily now."

And taking away more space. Hewitt is the 'Bows' best blocker, and that is the worst part of their game. Hawai'i's success is closely linked to hers.

"She just needs to get better," Shoji said. "Her role is simple — block and hit, be available on offense. We don't need her to be the go-to person. She just has to hold the (opposing) middle and be a threat, and she's been doing a great job blocking. It really helps the team when someone is controlling the net."

NOTE

Admission to Friday's and Saturday's matches are $17 lower level, and $12 (adults), $10 (seniors 65-older) and $5 (students) upper level. Parking is $5.