Warriors feeling scrappy as they prepare for BYU

The Hawaii volleyball team believes in the power of Penn.

The Warriors ordered — and received — T-shirts with the words, "Just Scrap."

It is a slogan the UH football team embraced, also with T-shirts, and borrowed from UFC fighter BJ Penn’s battle cry.

"I think ‘Just Scrap’ is our mantra for the trip," volleyball player Taylor Averill said of the Warriors’ playoff match against Brigham Young at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Warriors’ season appeared to be on life support a couple of weeks earlier. But then the Warriors won their final two regular-season matches and Cal State Northridge lost five in row. The Warriors claimed the final berth in the eight-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs.

"We had the defibrillator," middle blocker Davis Holt said. "We were shocked back to life."

Recalling the scenario, outside hitter Jace Olsen said: "I don’t think anybody thought we had a shot at the postseason. But here we are."

The Warriors advanced without their starting left-side hitters. Siki Zarkovic’s sprained ankle prevented him from playing in last weekend’s matches against UC San Diego. JP Marks was held out while the NCAA decides whether his agreement to play for a professional team next year violates his amateur status.

In the playoff-clinching victory over UC San Diego, Averill moved from the middle to opposite and Brook Sedore moved from opposite to left-side hitter for the start of the fourth set.

Sedore pounded 31 kills, the most by a Warrior since the number of points required to win a set was reduced to 25 points in 2011. Sedore had 14 kills in the final two sets, including nine in the fourth, when he was hitting mostly from the front left and middle back.

"When you get set 47 times, it’s easy to get that many kills," Sedore said.

Sedore has evolved into the go-to role. He was the serving specialists before breaking into the lineup, at opposite, in the Warriors’ eighth match. While his kill production increased, his speciality — serving accuracy — became fickle. Through trial and error, Sedore has learned neither to over-swing nor over-think.

He also has been seeking to balance his emotions.

"I’ve been having a weird season," Sedore said. "I’ve had games when I’ve had super-high energy. And then I had the one this Saturday when I was more focused and worried about each play rather than trying to always keep my energy up. I’m trying to figure it out."

For now, Sedore embraces being the first offensive option.

"Who doesn’t like getting set the ball in pressure situations?" Sedore said. "I’ve always been told to be best friends with your setters because of that reason."