Since we last saw Rainbow Wahine volleyball in person, Hawaii has jumped up to fourth in the rankings and Brittany Hewitt has hammered home the concept that she is a force.

As UH (14-1, 4-0) hosts Western Athletic Conference matches against San Jose State (8-12, 3-4) tomorrow and Fresno State (7-10, 2-4) on Sunday, Hewitt is making people forget the gawkiness of volleyball seasons past. That sweet smile now masks the country’s most prolific blocker, and her right arm ripped New Mexico State to shreds two weeks ago in Las Cruces.

Suddenly, Hewitt is the whole package for Hawaii. She leads the team in aces and last season’s WAC freshman of the year has settled comfortably into a position of power leadership with seniors Dani Mafua and Elizabeth Ka’aihue, and UH All-American Kanani Danielson, a junior.

The sophomore is the third oldest on the team. She turned 21 the day the Wahine returned from their first road trip.

"Since we just flew back from Dallas," Hewitt shrugged, "I celebrated by falling asleep."

Hawaii recruited Hewitt for her 6-foot-3 frame and potential, landing her just ahead of NMSU. The two-time Idaho player of the year helped Eagle High School to two state championships. When she came here in 2008, there was "most definitely culture shock — in Idaho there’s not much diversity," but she thrived in her new environment.

"I felt comfortable from the get-go," Hewitt said. "The coaches do a really good job making sure you feel comfortable, and all the families embraced me, especially the Danielsons. They invited me to all their family stuff. It really helped."

The volleyball transition was not so seamless. Hewitt was "shocked" at the speed of the game.

"I never thought I’d ever be able to keep up to how fast the game moves and figure out what is going on on the other side of the net," she said.

UH coach Dave Shoji also had his doubts.

"I thought she was kind of a geeky, awkward kid," he said. "All arms and legs and not much finesse. … It wasn’t pretty."

He ultimately convinced her to redshirt, which Hewitt now counts as a blessing. She was still somewhat raw last season, but the staff began to see blocking instincts and "natural moves" that Hewitt made look easy. With major assists from associate coaches Mike Sealy and Scott Wong, balls began to go straight down as Hewitt consistently closed blocks when hitters thought she couldn’t get there.

"All of a sudden she was blocking lots of balls and filling a role we really needed," Shoji said. "Offensively, she wasn’t very good. Her armswing was all over the place. But we didn’t need to set her. We had a lot of offense, so she didn’t get a lot of attempts. She kept working hard on it."

Hewitt, already deceptively quick, came into this season with a much better armswing and understanding of the offense.

"Dani’s sets are always amazing," Hewitt says. "It was just me figuring out the timing and all."

She opened the season with a school-record 16 blocks against 23rd-ranked San Diego, setting the tone. In the Wahine’s only loss, against fifth-ranked USC, she stuffed 10 balls and went 18-for-24 offensively.

Hewitt has hit .400-plus in half of Hawaii’s matches. On the road she went off, blasting NMSU and Louisiana Tech to the outrageous tune of .842. After getting just one swing in the first set at Las Cruces, she finished 11-for-12, hitting a school-record .917. Hewitt was perfect until she was dug on UH’s next-to-last point.

Danielson explains the near-flawless performance simply: "She’s quicker than most people. Normally tall girls can’t move. And she really works hard."

NMSU coach Michael Jordan saw Hewitt’s performance coming and still couldn’t stop it.

"It was a couple things," said Jordan, acknowledging his team’s block was "terrible" that night. "One, she is really talented. That’s a big part of it.

"I’ve watched her a long time. We recruited her. She was really close to coming here until Hawaii got in the picture. I’ve seen her growth. I’m very impressed. She’s gone from being a kid with good size and strength and the ability to close the block and stuff you to being a real offensive threat. She’s moving better, jumping high. She’s a very, very good player."

And an exceptional blocker, which is still what gives Hewitt the most satisfaction. Hitters see a seam against her, but by the time they touch the ball it is gone. Her speed and skill, complementing a long body that is not nearly as gawky as it once was, has made her the closer.

"It’s very natural, and she’s big," Mafua explains. "What would probably take me five steps to cover takes her 2 1/2. It’s a combination of her size and athleticism. She’s definitely got some quickness, and she understands the flow of what to look for when the setter is setting the ball."

Through all the transitions, Hewitt’s humility and amiable — and a little quirky — personality has stayed the same. She has become a force on and off the court.

"I’ve known her since her freshman year, and it’s still the same old Brittany," Danielson says. "Very spunky, lively and always has that smile on her face to cheer everybody up."