Ginger Long didn’t fully grasp the significance of match point last Saturday until well after the last lei was draped onto her shoulders.

As the celebration following the Hawaii volleyball team’s regular-season finale finally began to subside, she was reminded that her match-ending cross-court kill would be her final swing in the Stan Sheriff Center as a college player.

"I didn’t really think about that until after senior night was over," Long said. "I was like, that’s crazy to think of. I’m going to have to come back for alumni game."

Classified as a junior, Long might have slipped quietly onto the Rainbow Wahine alumni roster when she decided to leave a year of eligibility on the table and finish out her UH career this month. In doing so, she’d seemingly miss out on one of the program’s treasured rites.

Instead she was a late addition to the senior night festivities following the Wahine sweep of UC Davis.

"Once she made the decision to graduate and not play in the fifth year I really wanted her to have a senior night," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "I just felt like she really deserved to get recognition, giving so much to the program."

Long, who redshirted her first year in the program, was honored along with Kalei Adolpho and Sarah Mendoza, giving her the chance to be saluted by the crowd, have lei piled above her ears and, perhaps most important, share the moment with her family.

"I’m very grateful the coaches gave me the opportunity even though I have one more year left," Long said. "Senior night is huge here so I think they really didn’t want me to miss out. Just being a part of it was awesome.

"I grew up watching Wahine volleyball so senior night is always cool."

The UH careers of Long, Adolpho and Mendoza will last as long as the Wahine remain alive in the NCAA tournament. UH opens the regional on Friday against Duke at Alaska Airlines Arena. Survive the first round and the Wahine face New Hampshire or host and third-seeded Washington on Saturday.

Long was a freshman on the 2012 team that played in the Seattle regional and ended the season with a five-set loss to the Huskies.

"Their playing atmosphere is a lot like ours where their fans are really loud and they fill up the arena," said Long, who had a dig and an assist against UW that night. "I still get glimpses of that game where we almost had set point, so for Kalei and I it’s still kind of in there."

A back-row specialist as a freshman, Long posted 12 kills as an outside hitter last year and started eight matches early this season. But playing time became sporadic as the Wahine settled into a regular rotation. Even so, Shoji said Long’s demeanor didn’t sour as she turned her focus to helping the first unit prepare.

"Once we settled into a lineup and she became a backup player she still practiced hard, she still had good attitude, she did make the A team better," Shoji said.

"I’m sure she was disappointed she didn’t start but she never let that show. Inside you want to play, but she was just a total team player as far as contributing any way she could."

In that regard, Long looked to the examples of previous years.

"It was accepting your role and I think a lot of the reason I could do that was because of the seniors last year," Long said. "Some of them like (Kristiana Tuaniga) and Ashley (Kastl) who didn’t start but they really accepted their roles. So I kind of look up to them and try to model after them."

Long said leaving the program with this year’s senior class made the farewell a little sweeter.

"It’s cool I get to go out with Kalei and with Sarah, she’s my roommate and she’s one of my closest friends," Long said.

Long said she’ll focus on her remaining school work as she finishes up her degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on pre-law.

But she might not be done with college volleyball just yet. While she plans to sit out the sand volleyball season this spring, she’ll have eligibility left for the 2016 season and could rejoin the sand team as a graduate student.

"I’m still thinking about that," Long said, "because I think after this semester I might miss volleyball."