Dave Shoji’s volleyball players will always be an integral part of defining his legacy. The great ones —Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Deitre Collins, Kanoe Kamana‘o, Terry Malterre — will always come to mind immediately. But what sets him apart from so many coaches is that someone like Kristiana Tuaniga will also be a large part of that legacy.

She has been known as "TK" since she arrived in Hawaii in the fall of 2009. The nickname began when a junior coach couldn’t pronounce her name, and apparently got her initials mixed up. But he sent her here with Fab 50 and Senior Aces (No. 37) credentials, along with .647 hitting.

Tuaniga redshirted her first year and has hit .300-plus since, but only played in parts of 65 sets in four seasons. She is one of the few Rainbow Wahine who comes close to Emily Hartong’s athleticism. She works as hard as anyone on this senior-laden team blessed with a tremendous work ethic. But she has yet to break through as a starter as she heads into the final three months of her career.

And she has yet to utter a discouraging word.

"She’s just been a trooper as far as never complaining, having a good attitude, staying ready, doing things off the court," Shoji said. "She is a fifth-year senior that is very mature. You never really have to worry about her. It’s hard to hang in five years and not play as much as you want to play, but she’s just been a loyal team player."

Tuaniga was front and center when the team joyfully ambushed Shoji with water, confetti and Silly String Friday, after he became his sport’s winningest coach. She was so close she might still be picking confetti out of her hair, as he is.

She and Kalei Adolpho were the ones who picked him up — without any apparent difficulty — and paraded him around the Stan Sheriff Center, where Hawaii returns tonight for its Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Challenge. Her spontaneous joy and huge grin were nothing if not genuine.

Wahine volleyball has changed her, made her a better person, Tuaniga will tell you without hesitation or regret.

"I wouldn’t do anything differently," she insists, "because then I wouldn’t be here today. I’m happy with how things ended up for me, how far I’ve come. I’m blessed to be here."

The legacy lives on, with a gifted middle blocker who is closer to playing significant minutes now than she has ever been in collegiate career. Tuaniga has had long discussions, particularly with assistant coaches Scott Wong and Ah Mow-Santos, about what it will take for her to help more. She has taken their words to heart.

"Everything is there physically, it’s just consistently staying engaged in the play," Wong said. "That’s the mental part of it, but sometimes it translates into the physical part. … She has to stay engaged 100 percent. She’s got all the right tools."

The three middles offer an interesting dynamic. Jade Vorster is the tallest (6 feet 4), most analytical and unorthodox. Adolpho is immensely physical, with a "killer arm," according to Tuaniga, who might be the quickest and most athletic.

"All summer now and during double-days, I feel like all three of us worked our tails off," Tuaniga said. "I feel like we all are doing really well. Obviously Dave sees something in Jade and Kalei. …I feel like I can do these things. I feel like if I just keep working hard and don’t give up I’ll get my chance."

Shoji is right there with her, as she was with him during Friday’s feel-good celebration. He likes to put her in against smaller teams because of the quickness of her arm and her legs, which allow her to close the block.

He calls the race in the middle "an ongoing evaluation" and knows, at the very least, that what Tuaniga gives him is "an assurance we have a quality person that can start."

Tuaniga waits for her chance and has made her peace with whatever happens. Adolpho is one of her closest friends — a "sister" along with Mita Uiato — and she gets along well with Vorster.

"I always want to give them a challenge and try to better them," she said. "They would do the same for me."

Uiato assures anyone who asks that Tuaniga’s good nature is genuine. The two grew up 15 minutes apart in California, Uiato in Long Beach and Tuaniga in Carson. They never met until Uiato got here in 2010. Now, they discuss their impending graduations in Family Resources, and possibly finding a place together here as they start careers.

"We’re kind of from the same place, we have similar values," Uiato said. "We immediately got along. … We see each other during breaks, work out together, eat together.

"If we’re not doing anything, we’re doing nothing together. Walking around the mall, we see a lot of movies. We’re low key, just hang out, nothing crazy. We like to chill. And she’s obsessed with bubble drinks so we’re always at a mall."

The "chill" Tuaniga feels now surprises her. She admits Hawaii has "mellowed" her. Shoji describes it as maturity, but Uiato sees even more in a friend who came from a close family.

"It’s about being on a team where we are family," Uiato said. "I think every team tries to be like that, but being in Hawaii there’s more the aloha spirit. Where we come from… her values have changed and the whole environment in general has changed her overall being. She has that Hawaiian-type thing about her a little now. She’s come a long way."

A long way from her first look at the Wahine, during an NCAA match at USC. When it was over, Hawaii’s Elizabeth Ka‘aihue climbed into the stands to say hi to Tuaniga, then dragged her down to meet the team.

"They were so nice, so genuine," Tuaniga recalled. "It really attracted me here. Plus, my cousin Gus was here and he liked it. I thought why not? It’s Hawaii. You can’t really go anywhere else and play in front of fans like we do. The energy they bring to every game, especially the Texas game, the energy from the crowd was amazing."

Tuaniga says the culture here has given her new perspective. She will always remember where she came from, but she is different than the girl whose plan was to "graduate high school, get a job, help mom with the bills." UH’s interest in her quickly upgraded goals that were common in Carson.

"There are a lot of gangs, a lot of rivalries," she said. "I’m not saying Carson is all bad, but a majority of the kids, the athletes who could have gone to a D-I school and played at a higher level, a lot of them went down the wrong path.

"It’s a lot different from Carson here, but I love it. It’s changed me, it’s bettered me. If it can better someone else, they should take the chance."

Tuaniga will do her internship with HUGS — Help, Understanding and Group Support for children with life-threatening illnesses — then "go from there" into a future that could include more volleyball, travel and starting a family.

"There" could be here, but first there is the rest of her senior season.

"I want to leave it all on the court," she said. "Be able to say I’m a better player, the best player I can be from when I started here. If I could leave here taking everything the coaches have taught me and apply that on the court I’d be happy. That would be a great accomplishment."