Soft spoken, hard hitting.

The contradiction that is Emily Maglio seems to be working well for the Hawaii sophomore middle as well as the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team this season.

Very well.

The 6-foot-3 Canadian’s off-court demeanor is the polar opposite of her on-court persona, mimicking the antipodes in the temperatures of her hometown of Coquitlam, British Columba, (located 49 degrees above the equator) and her adopted home of Honolulu (at 21 degrees). That she has started all but one match for No. 8 Hawaii (14-1, 4-0 Big West) has been a boost to Maglio’s confidence, her steadiness and her threat both in hitting and blocking adding to that of the Wahine’s success this season.

It hasn’t come as a surprise to associate indoor and head beach coach Jeff Hall, who had Maglio as a redshirt last spring for the SandBows.

"One of the things I’ve seen her improve on is she is attacking the ball better," Hall said. "Her timing is better, she’s tracking the pass better and getting up earlier. Last year, was a little late on her attack, so it was easy to read her.

"She does have a different swing, hits behind her head. It’s something we’ve tried to fix, but it’s hard when you’ve been doing it that way maybe since you were 12. It does throw off the block and it’s been effective."

Originally from Minnesota, Hall said he and Maglio also have cold weather and hockey in common besides volleyball. Maglio played youth hockey for eight years on a boys team as a defender.

"We’ve shared many skating stories," he said. "I think there’s definitely a coordination factor that transfers from hockey to volleyball. You have to really focus on what your lower limbs are doing.

"She has a real upside (indoors), but her ceiling for beach is unbelievable. Evan (assistant beach coach Silberstein) and I speak about that every night. We would like to see her be on the No. 2 flight, which is crazy to go from not playing last year to being No. 2. But our goal for her is to be on the Canadian Olympic (beach) team."

But that’s a few years away, and the animal science major is focused on the here and now. Maglio has always enjoyed a challenge, whether it was proving she could play volleyball — she was cut twice while trying out for the B.C. Summer Games and U14 Baden cup teams — or proving she belonged playing at an elite program.

"Being a starter has helped with confidence," she said. "I’m being pushed and that has helped me improve.

"This team meshes well, we get along and have good team chemistry. It’s been exciting. How far can we go? All the way. We have the potential."

Sophomore hitter Kalei Greeley and Maglio are in their second year as roommates. They immediately bonded last season as tall rookies away from home sharing a love of country music and all things quirky.

"We’ve clicked from the beginning," Greeley said. "She’s my best friend. We are into a lot of the same things, have similar personalities. Quiet, but both of us together is a little rowdy.

"I’m really proud of her. She’s come a long way and gaining confidence each match. There is a fire inside her and you see it every now and then on the court. My favorite thing is the way she celebrates, the way she throws her arms up and enjoys it."

Hawaii coach Dave Shoji has enjoyed seeing Maglio’s success as well. She is second in the Big West in block average (1.38 bps), sandwiched between teammates Olivia Magill (1.51) and Nikki Taylor (1.31), and helping the Wahine become No. 1 nationally in blocks ((3.27).

"There’s been a steady improvement," Shoji said. "Offensively, she’s starting to learn where to go, what to do with the ball when she gets it. It’s really helped the team."

Maglio is averaging 1.77 kills per set but has shown the potential to go off at any time, with a career-high 12 coming in the sweep of Cal State Bakersfield. She’s also had six matches without a hitting error, including three of the last four, hitting .387 for the season.

"Being a new person is hard, but at least I had a few years under my belt," added Magill, who transferred in from Arizona last season. "It’s a really big jump from high school to college, especially coming to a program like this where there are so many eyes on you.

"Her improvement’s been all-around as a player."

The consensus is that Maglio is quiet and quietly effective. She’s begun to let her game speak for itself.

Note

There will be an autograph session with the Rainbow Wahine following tonight’s match with Cal State Northridge.