Alex Griffiths and Hawaii were on a collision course from the time she was 12 and just beginning her passionate pursuit of volleyball.

She began to decorate her bedroom in Seal Beach, Calif., in a Hawaiian motif. Soon after, on vacation here with her parents, she saw Kanoe Kamanao setting for the Rainbow Wahine in a match on TV.

"Oh my gosh," Griffiths recalled, as if it were yesterday. "I remember telling my parents I wanted to play volleyball somewhere like here. Volleyball is huge here. They treat us with as much respect as football and any other sport. We are on TV.

"In California, or any other school, volleyball is volleyball. It’s not a popular sport. It’s very cool that here it is treated with a lot of respect. It’s treated with a lot of love from everybody."

Her mother bought the video series "Dave Shoji’s Aloha Volleyball Technique." Alex watched the tapes "at least 100 times before I got here, just trying to get it down."

There would be stops on the way, but probably not as many as for most 5-foot-6 defensive specialists adamant about playing Division I volleyball. "Griff" played well for all the right teams in high school and club. When a D-I offer did not materialize, she went to Vanguard University, a tiny Christian school that competes in the NAIA.

She played very well for two years, then shipped her own video to Shoji. He saw someone with skill and savvy, who had the valuable ability to "make plays." He invited her over to "earn a spot" — coachspeak for "no promises." Shoji knew there was potential, far beyond the skills he saw in passing, serving and defense.

"She loves volleyball," he said. "That’s obvious from what she gave up to come here to the unknown. She wants to be good. She wants a lot out of the sport. What can I say? You want kids like that."

His gamble will finish with a happy ending. Not an awesome, All-American ending where Griffiths overcomes all odds, passes every ball with perfection, sets school records with that wicked "hybrid serve" and makes spectacular digs with routine regularity.

This ending — Griffiths is one of three Rainbow Wahine seniors, with Chanteal Satele and Kanani Danielson — will probably be illustrated in increasingly extended appearances.

Tonight, in Hawaii’s Western Athletic Conference match against Nevada, she might play some libero as she did this past Saturday, coming in for Emily Maeda. Against Fresno State on Saturday, maybe there will be a serving run when her topspin toss and open-handed slap-float will wobble over and crash into the Stan Sheriff Center floor a few times.

What is for sure is that Griffiths will enjoy this ride every last moment. She will try to make sure everyone around her — "I’m pretty close with everyone, can get along with everyone …I’m proud to be like that" — enjoys it too.

"She knows the game, has played this position a good chunk of her life, knows where to go, where to be, how to read the ball …," said teammate Kristina Kam, who redshirted with Griffiths in 2009. "But her greatest asset might be her personality. She is always the life of the party. She knows how to bring people out, bring laughter out of people. I have never, ever not had a good time with her. She always gives me a good laugh. It’s great."

Griffiths credits Kam with helping her feel at home in Hawaii that first year, but the transition was not that tough. Griffiths’ upbeat personality allows her to feel comfortable with almost anyone, anywhere.

When she set her mind on Hawaii, she went all in, from Shoji’s instructional series to opening herself to the nuances of island life. She took in the unique aspects, and diverse backers, of the country’s only revenue-producing volleyball program. Many took her in as well.

Griffiths considers her time here a "test" for what’s next. After graduation she hopes to play volleyball overseas "until I can’t," then work in sports psychology or coaching. She doesn’t care where she is next year, as long as she is playing volleyball. She knows now that fitting in is in her blood.

She passed her test.

"I’m going to tell my kids, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to Hawaii,’ " she said. "I want my kids to enjoy it as much as I did. I love this sport. When we don’t have practice I wish we did have practice. I’m volleyball crazy … the staff, the people, the fans, the teammates …they make you play even better than you think you can."