FIRST IN A SERIES

There is one position on this year’s Rainbow Wahine volleyball team not shrouded in mystery going into the Aug. 24 opener. Mita Uiato has removed all doubt about who will set for Hawaii.

The junior became the starting setter last year and never wavered. She earned all-conference honors, getting better every night.

Apparently, that has not changed since we last saw her in the regional semifinal in December. Coach Dave Shoji says she is stronger, jumping higher and pushing balls farther, even from awkward positions. His assistant, three-time Olympic setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, concurs.

"What’s really improved is the footwork," says Ah Mow-Santos, who noticed a big change even before the end of spring practice. "It was horrible when I came in (last year) and it has gotten a whole lot better. She’s getting to more balls. She’s gotten a lot better."

Uiato is also more savvy and — shockingly — louder.

"I’m not a loud person," Uiato acknowledges. "I probably said that last year. I really do need to step out of my comfort zone and be more vocal so I can be one of the leaders and help the team. At the end of last year I was more motivated to take a part of that leadership. The team needed another person from another position to step up."

She has surprised Ah Mow-Santos, which isn’t easy, and the surprises started at crunch time last season.

"I kept telling her, ‘You have to lead, pick the girls up when they’re not doing well. That’s what the setter does,’" Ah Mow-Santos recalls. "She was doing that toward the end. She had to work on it. And the chances she took … nobody would notice, but a setter would."

As an example, Ah Mow-Santos points out that Uiato is now comfortable backsetting while running forward. It is a risky, difficult play that nearly always fools the block because so few setters do it.

A year ago, Uiato set Hawaii to a .291 hitting percentage, second nationally. Remaining in that range will be a challenge for Uiato and backup Monica Stauber because only one starting attacker returns at the same position (Jane Croson).

Both setters are now making more sophisticated choices and their footwork progress can be gauged in fewer bump sets. Their biggest hurdle will be all the new faces — and arms and tempos and sizes — hitting balls in new places this season.

Uiato has a better delivery, plays bigger — she was third on the team in blocks last season — and is a more complete player than Stauber at this stage. The sophomore has the advantage on defense and offense; Stauber’s dumps are "killer," according to Ah Mow-Santos.

In this Olympic year, Ah Mow-Santos wants Uiato and Stauber to emulate the "fighting spirit" of former Olympic teammate Lindsey Berg, the Punahou graduate who just set Team USA to a silver medal in London. Giving the hitters "hittable" sets as often as possible is a priority, but the intangibles are also critical.

"Lindsey is great at that stuff," Ah Mow-Santos says. "The first thing our players need to watch is her fight. Lindsey cheers every single point, pushes the girls. She is loud and vocal. That’s the first thing those two need to learn. Mita was a lot better from her first year to last year and toward the end of the year she was a little better, but she’s not at that point yet. The fighting spirit is just coming."