Recruiting is not an exact science.

It is an art, and not the paint-by-numbers kind.

The secret to that masterpiece is not about what is but what can be. A volleyball player might be great in high school, but that means nothing if the development doesn’t continue. So how to predict what a 15- or 16-year-old will become in four or five years?

It takes practice and a practiced eye. Hawaii coach Dave Shoji, the winningest active coach in the game, has it.

So does former Rainbow Wahine associate coach Mike Sealy, who led UCLA to the 2011 NCAA title in just his second season with the Bruins.

Sealy helped recruit many Wahine who were on the Stan Sheriff Center court against his Bruins in Sunday’s title match of the Verizon Challenge, including all-tournament selections Emily Hartong and Jane Croson.

Hartong, the MVP of the past two tournaments, finished with a team-high 20 kills, and Croson had 14 kills and 11 digs as No. 9 Hawaii fell to No. 3 UCLA 28-30, 25-16, 25-17, 25-21.

"They’re both amazing players," Sealy said. "It wasn’t hard recruiting them. They both wanted to come (to Hawaii).

"They both had played at a very high level (before college) and they’re doing what they were expected to do. Hartong has the million-dollar arm, but what you also saw was the attitude and the work ethic."

In 2010, Sealy described the then-freshman Hartong as the "hardest-working middle in the country."

"When’s she’s playing left side, she’s the hardest-working left in the country," he said. "And when’s she’s on the right, she’s the hardest there. She can play anywhere."

But what the 6-foot-2 Wahine co-captain was unable to do against UCLA was play consistently as tall as the Bruins block, which featured tournament MVP Tabi Love (6-5), and all-tournament picks Rachel Kidder (6-3) and Karsta Lowe (6-4).

"It’s tough. Tonight was a big challenge," said Hartong, who graduated from Los Alamitos (Calif.) High. "What I liked about our team is we kept our heads high. It’s a different feeling than when we lost to Cal (in five on Sept. 2).

"I thought we learned a lot tonight. We need to keep working hard, come out strong all the time and be ready to give it our all."

Shoji has no complaints about Hartong’s continued development.

"She came in as a 6-1 skinny middle and she’s way better than I expected she would be," he said. "And she keeps getting better."