USC volleyball coach Bill Ferguson crunched the numbers and, according to his calculations, Hawaii is "three points better per set at home."

"Who wouldn’t be with that crowd?" said Ferguson, whose No. 2 Trojans play the sixth-ranked Warriors at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Told of the boost from the crowd, UH coach Charlie Wade said, smiling: "I’m OK with that. If he’s willing to put that on the scoreboard, sure, we’ll take that. That’s nice of him. If he wants to give us three points a set, we’ll take that, for sure."

Both teams appear to be constructed from similar fiber, relying mightily on the serve/pass phase. Neither has a guaranteed-point attacker. UH’s leader is All-America middle Taylor Averill.

"If Hawaii is in system, its ability to set Taylor is going to make three rotations brutal and really force us to play good defense and block really well," Ferguson said.

Wade countered: "Their setter has a little more experience than ours."

USC’s Micah Christenson, a Kamehameha Schools graduate, was the U.S. national team’s starting setter the past summer.

"He’s the best setter in the world right now," said UH outside hitter Kupono Fey, Christenson’s cousin.

Wade said: "We don’t have a guy like that, a world-class player. We’ve got some really good players. Our strength is definitely the unit."

The Warriors also will need to rely on their depth. Left-side hitter Siki Zarkovic has a sprained left ankle and is iffy for Wednesday’s match. Hendrik Mol, who served well in last Friday’s match against UC Irvine, and co-captain Scott Hartley are the likely replacements if Zarkovic is unavailable. Fey will remain at outside-2, a primary passing position.

Mol honed his multiple skills playing "beach" volleyball in his native Norway. Last summer, he finished second in the under-23 world championships.

"Norway has a culture for beach volleyball," Mol said. "There are (sand) courts everywhere."

Hartley has fluctuated between being a serving specialist and situation blocker this season.

"I’m practicing as if I could be the guy," Hartley said. "It doesn’t matter either way. I’m happy for Hendrik. I’m happy for myself. Either of us can step in and play just as well."

Ferguson said Fey, usually a fourth offensive option, is regarded as the Warriors’ unheralded threat.

"We have to pay attention to Kupono Fey," Ferguson said.

Fey has provided a spark on his swings from the left pin and behind the service line. But his best asset is passing.

"That’s my role on the team," said Fey, who often practices passing volleyballs spit from JUGS machines at 70 mph.

Wade said Fey "has been great. I’m impressed with who he is as a person and how he works and what a good dude he is."