Volleyball officially begins today with the University of Hawaii opening practice. The Rainbow Wahine know as well as anyone that seasons are remembered by where they end.

Two years ago, they got hot late and left a trail of Big Ten victims on the way to a ninth NCAA final four.

Last year, they sizzled through a spectacular regular season, winning a school-record 62 straight sets. Then they fell on their face at the Western Athletic Conference tournament and were swept by Washington in an NCAA subregional a week later.

Hawaii finished 29-3 and far too early for a program with four national titles.

The stark contrast should live on as a high-definition lesson for the 11 returning players. The nine new faces — seven freshmen and redshirts Courtney Lelepali and Kristina Kam — should soak up their experiences.

"We went out with a whimper," UH coach Dave Shoji emailed from Japan, where he is watching professional and collegiate practices. "We had a tough draw, but we still played poorly. Every phase broke down. We were not a good enough team to win in Seattle."

That has bothered Shoji every hour since. His players feel the same pain.

Without question, the Volleyball Hall of Fame coach’s 37th season will be different. There are all those new faces and a first-year setter and libero to replace Dani Mafua and Elizabeth Ka‘aihue. He needs to find a place for sophomore Emily Hartong, one of Hawaii’s most dynamic players, to settle in.

All-American Kanani Danielson is in her last season and Jane Croson, one of the country’s most talked-about recruits, in her first. Three-time Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos is taking over for longtime associate coach Kari Ambrozich, and inherits three new setters.

"Robyn is going to work with all the players and give me input from almost an outsider point of view," Shoji says. "She will help the setters with technique, footwork, delivery — all the things Kari did with the setters, just a different perspective. She will be tough on everyone; it’s her nature."

The Wahine will be remembered by what happens in four months. What goes on between now and the Aug. 26 opener against San Francisco, through a September that features eight NCAA Tournament teams, and their final WAC season, will shape that future.

There will be a regional at Stan Sheriff on Dec. 9-10, which is "only big if we can get there," according to Shoji.

"We have to catch a break in the draw," he says. "It would help to be home for the first four matches. Then you have to play your best two matches of your life."

Back when Hawaii won in 1979, ’82, ’83 and ’87, Shoji recalls UH basically having to beat four teams, "all who we could beat in recruiting."

"Ten years ago, things changed drastically," he added. "Recruiting was way tougher. The BCS schools started to dominate. It got tough to beat most BCS schools in recruiting, although we get great kids."

The Wahine have been to six final fours since they last won a title. Half have come the past decade, when Hawaii, Long Beach State and Santa Clara are the only non-BCS schools to reach a final four.

It’s not nearly enough for Shoji or the NCAA’s only revenue-producing volleyball program, which has attracted the country’s largest and most loyal crowds since moving into the Stan Sheriff Center in 1994.

Final fours are the "short-term" goal every season. Winning again remains the ultimate goal. Losing WAC championships and being swept in Seattle will never be part of the plan.

Going into practice, Danielson, Hartong, second-team All-American Brittany Hewitt and sophomore setter Mita Uiato are the only "locks" in the lineup, according to Shoji. The libero, second middle, second left and opposite positions are wide open and need "steady, not spectacular play."

He needs numbers from his All-Americans — "as in kills, blocks, digs." He desperately needs to find passers to help Danielson and someone — or two, or three — to keep everyone focused or frenetic, depending on the situation.

Only then will he have an idea of how this season might end.