Hawaii lived through an out-of-ordinary midseason experience Tuesday in a volleyball exhibition against Japanese pro team Toyota Auto Body.

Of all the odd sights in the Queensies’ 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 win, the oddest was seeing former Rainbow Wahine All-American Kanani Danielson parked on the Toyota bench.

A year after lifting the Wahine into the NCAA regionals — and the final four two years before that — and four months after graduating, Danielson is about to embark on the next phase of her life. She signed with Toyota in June and heads to Japan on Saturday.

The exhibition came about, in part, because her 26 new teammates and coaches wanted to "pick her up." The team also has known UH coach Dave Shoji for more than a decade and had been looking for an "excuse" to come, coach Masayuki Izumikawa said.

He said his team pursued Danielson because of her versatility. After Tuesday, she looks like a great fit on the left. Her first practice — and face time — with her new team was Monday.

"They basically welcomed me with open arms," said Danielson, who signed with the Japanese elite league because it offered a better contract and more comfortable "culture" than other foreign options.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 1,078 did not see her play. The Queensies’ system is so sophisticated and Danielson so far behind that she stood with the reserves all night, slapping hands with her new teammates and taking steps toward learning what she hopes will become "fluent Japanese" by the time she comes back home. The pro season begins in November.

"I’m happy starting here because they work very, very hard and at the same time they’re jolly, they’re chill," Danielson said. "They smile all the time."

They also tip and dig like crazy, which was basically the difference in a surprisingly tight match.

"After watching them (Toyota) practice I thought we might not be in this match," Shoji said. "But our kids had good attitudes and played hard. It was a bounce-back after the road trip for us."

The Queensies couldn’t touch Emily Hartong in the opening set. The Big West kill leader went 7-for-11 without an error, playing on the right but also burying balls from the back and left.

Her teammates made those points stand up with a defense that combined for 14 digs and six stuffs — three by Jane Croson, who shut down Toyota’s right side. She finished with 11 kills and 43 error-free serve receptions.

"Jane had a good night," Shoji said. "She’s so important to our whole game. It’s really based on her and Hartong."

The Queensies hit just .103 in Set 1. That ballooned to .350 and up in the final three as UH managed just three more blocks.

"When they’re in system it’s hard to block them," Shoji said. "First game we served really hard, tough, and they had to set high so we blocked well. After that they kind of got into their rhythm and it was hard to stop their offense."

Toyota stayed with its starters in Set 2, while Hawaii made major changes. Shoji brought Kaela Goodman and Ashley Kastl, who had a team-high 13 kills, into the front row for setters Mita Uiato and Monica Stauber. Stephanie Hagins replaced Kalei Adolpho in the middle and got that position’s first kill.

The changes had an impact. Hartong, on the left this time and supposedly easier to find, only got two kills. The UH block, even with the small setters out of the front row, managed just one stuff.

Toyota led nearly the entire set, then came out with its starters again in the third. Hartong took a rest and iced her ankle — standing up — while Kristiana Tuaniga moved into the middle for Jade Vorster. By the end of the set nearly every Wahine had played, as Shoji substituted liberally.

In the fourth both benches cleared. Through all the odd rotations in the third, Hawaii trailed, but never by much. It was ahead 21-19 in the fourth before Toyota passed by on the last lap.

Shoji hopes that’s a good sign for the rest of the week. UC Irvine (7-8) and Long Beach State (7-6) come in for Big West matches Thursday and Saturday. Both are 2-0. The Wahine (10-2) are 3-0 — barely — after a conference-opening road trip last week in California.