It would have been easy to overlook Emily Maeda and Alex Griffiths this volleyball season. At times they played little and, well …they are little. Neither can honestly claim to be 5 feet 5, which is about a foot shorter than every attacker top-ranked USC will send at Hawaii in Friday’s NCAA regional semifinal at Stan Sheriff Center.

Maeda and Griffiths refused to remain under the radar. In the last month of the season they have both become critical little cogs in the third-ranked Rainbow Wahine’s run to and through the postseason, where they have played every set. They combined for 28 digs at the Western Athletic Conference tournament, most of those from Maeda, a junior who switched shirts with freshman Lizzie Blake and is again the starting libero.

Griffiths, a senior, lit up the Senior Night crowd with four consecutive aces. She has kicked in three more since — at Cal State Fullerton and against Northern Colorado and Colorado State in last week’s subregional — and thrown offenses into confusion with her jump-float serve.

Meanwhile, Maeda went for a career-high 19 digs at Fullerton and followed up with 20 more last week.

But the Smurfs’ priority is passing. They have come in to take a little pressure off three-time All-American Kanani Danielson, one of the best passers on the planet, and lots of pressure off freshman Jane Croson.

"(UH coach) Dave (Shoji) wants everyone to be responsible for their own area," said Griffiths, who replaces Chanteal Satele in the back row to pass three rotations for Croson. "For Emily and I, it’s passing. We need to be good at what we do and we’re passers. There shouldn’t be a hitter who is as good a passer as we are, even though Kanani is an exceptional deal. You’ve got to do what your role is out there."

Croson is clearly more comfortable cranking away without the first touch — "When I don’t pass I just have to work on hitting it," she said. Beyond that, subbing Griffiths into the serve-receive rotation frees up Croson to hit from the back row, making UH’s left-side hitters a threat from most every inch of the court.

That was part of Shoji’s plan when he began to play Griffiths more. He also has a good memory. Last year’s late-season passing meltdown cost Hawaii a WAC championship and possibly a place in the regionals for only the fourth time in 30 NCAA tournaments.

Now, the Wahine (31-1) are on a 26-match winning streak. Passing is a priority — "right up there with hitting and blocking," Shoji said — against the 27-4 Trojans, the Pac-12 champions who come in seeded seventh to the Wahine’s 10th. In Friday’s opener, 14th-seeded Pepperdine (24-6) takes on unseeded Kansas State, which upset No. 2 Nebraska.

Maeda, a Roosevelt High School graduate, and Griffiths, a transfer who grew up in Southern California, have made themselves a major part of that run. Talent played a part, but experience and perseverance have been primary.

"Maeda got replaced and ‘Griff’ was down the depth chart, but they kept working hard," Shoji said. "Blake gave them a little window with a little inconsistency. Both have come back and played well."

Maeda is at her best when she is most relaxed, whether she is moving gracefully to the ball or launching her body at it.

"She’s a hard worker, a great player," Griffiths said. "She’s got good confidence now. The stats prove it. You see it in the numbers."

Griffiths might not look like the volleyball prototype, but she has great instincts and a very specific skill set, along with an innate ability to inspire — especially in her senior season.

" ‘Griff’ has this confidence that is unshakeable and no matter what she always has it," Maeda said. "Her confidence is contagious — just that belief that it’s all going to be good."

That’s no different now.

"I get past the pressure just because we’ve been through this pressure a whole year and half-fighting for the same position," Griffiths said. "We’ve got to perform every day in order to have our spot. Now the pressure is not for the position, but to win. It’s not an issue. I’m not nervous, I’m ready to play. It’s totally different now."

Notes

» Approximately 9,600 tickets have been sold for Friday’s matches, meaning fewer than 700 remain. The 12th and last Wahine sellout at Stan Sheriff Center was Senior Night 2003. UH announced a sellout at this year’s second Pepperdine match — the night "Hawaii Five-0" was filming — but the official box score had 9,692 tickets sold.

» Ticket packages for both nights of the regional are on sale at a cost of $35 (lower concourse) and $25 (upper). If tickets remain for individual matches they will go on sale Friday at $20 (lower) and $15 (upper). Tickets are available online at hawaiiathletics.com, by phone (944-2697), or at the Stan Sheriff Center box office (9 a.m.-5 p.m.).

Correction: Emily Maeda is a Roosevelt High School graduate. A previous version of this story said she graduated from Hawaii Baptist.