MINNEAPOLIS >> Good things come to those who wait. And Hawaii has waited a long time for the good that is Annie Mitchem to come to fruition.

The volleyball journey of the senior middle-turned-outside hitter has been as long as it has been circuitous and hard. From the dream of a seventh-grader in Friendswood, Texas, to Manoa thanks to a three-year life-changing detour at Irvine Valley College. Through academic ups and down that finally led to an associate’s degree after three-plus years, and through freak injuries to both pinkie fingers that kept the 6-foot-3 Mitchem sidelined for the final 12 matches of 2015 and nine matches of this season.

Mitchem returned against Pepperdine on Sept. 16, in the middle, a position where she was the two-time national player of the year for two-year colleges at IVC. It had been 325 days since her last match and Mitchem was ready, putting down 10 kills, hitting .320 with two blocks and a dig in a sweep of the Waves.

But Hawaii’s middle attack was going to be only as good as its passing, and when that was shaky — combined with a lack of production from the left side, came another change for both the Rainbow Wahine and Mitchem. Nearly a year to the day after breaking her right pinkie against UC Irvine on Oct. 17, 2015, she broke out in a new position, moving to the left side, somewhere she’d never been in her 22-year life.

It has taken a while to adjust — she is still getting used to high-ball sets and being in the passing rotation — but “I am getting more comfortable,” said Mitchem as she and Hawaii (22-5) prepared for today’s match against USC (18-13) in the first round of the NCAA Division I volleyball championship. “I still have moments of hesitation, waiting to see if I get the set.

“I need to get better at swinging out of system. I hear my teammates yell, ‘Swing, Annie.’ I’m working on it.”

It’s been like that since she wasn’t academically qualified to enroll at Hawaii. Shoji put the Mitchem family in touch with former Rainbow Warrior volleyball player Tom Pestolesi, the coach at IVC. Pestolesi and wife Diane Sebastian Pestolesi, a former Rainbow Wahine, helped Mitchem make the transition, particularly when focusing on school.

“She was always an excellent volleyball player but an indifferent student,” Mitchem’s father, Mark, said. “She’s still an excellent volleyball player but is much more studious.

“The Pestolesis had quite a bit to do with that.”

It took three years plus a summer school class for Annie Mitchem to earn her associate’s degree and be able to enroll at UH. She arrived as a two-time All-American, having helped the 27-0 Lasers to a state championship as a sophomore, but still needed to adapt to Division I.

The injuries slowed that process and it is only in the last nine matches — all but one a sweep — that dominant ability returned. Mitchem gives Hawaii the ability to run a very diversified offense, taking pressure off senior opposite Nikki Taylor to take the majority of the swings, as well as to set Mitchem from all over the court — the left, the right and behind the 3-meter line.

“It’s impressive to see how quickly she can be good at something once she puts her mind to it,” Wahine associate coach Jeff Hall said. “For example, serve-reception. It was not a strength of hers — she’s not a pure passer — but within a matter of four to five weeks, she’s gotten really good. She now can control the ball as opposed to the ball controlling her.

“She’s got this athletic instinct and has grown into this position. She was stagnant in the middle, dependent on whether we could get the ball to her, but now, all of a sudden, is a national-caliber type of athlete where the sky’s the limit.

“In all my years of coaching, I have a short list of exceptional athletes. Annie is on that list.”

Tom Pestolesi, a volunteer coach for the Wahine this season, likens Mitchem to a Great Dane, a big dog who could dominate physically but does it by licking them.

“Kill them with kindness,” Pestolesi said. “The thing about Annie … she absolutely has no ego. She is so gifted, but it’s like she doesn’t know it.

“It’s been great to see the growth of her as a person. I always thought she could become the level of player she has become. She’s one of the most physical players in the country, but I always measure players by how good of a teammate they are. She is a very good teammate.”

To a player, the Wahine echo the sentiment of the staff. “Sweet.” “No ego.” “That southern charm from Texas.” And, of course, “a really good athlete.”

Despite changing positions, Mitchem made All-Big West. She is third on the team in kills per set (2.88), blocks per set (0.92) and points per set (3.55).

It’s not the numbers that she put up at IVC — in the state title match she had 24 kills and hit. 488 with six solo blocks — but the potential for the offensive explosion is there. Hawaii’s season is on the line today and Mitchem, who did not travel when the Wahine made it to the regional last season, wants to extend it.

“We could have two really tough games here,” she said. “I wasn’t there when we played Minnesota last year and it would be cool to play against them (in Saturday’s second round).

“There’s motivation for us to win six more and for me to be able to keep playing for Hawaii.”

There will be motivation in the Sports Pavilion stands as well. For the first time in her collegiate career, her immediate family will be in attendance. While her divorced parents have seen her play for IVC and UH, her paternal grandmother is coming from North Carolina to see her compete for the Wahine, and her other brother Noah, who is battling cancer, will see her play collegiately for the first time.

There’s more motivation. Should Hawaii advance to play — likely — No. 2 seed Minnesota and win, next week’s regional would be played at UNC … assuming the seventh-seeded Tar Heels advance.

“That would be great,” Mark Mitchem said. “That’s where I’m from and we will be able to have even more family there.

“Annie could have gone any where she wanted — Minnesota, Nebraska … we tried to get her to look at North Carolina — but her heart was always set on Hawaii. We only wanted what was best and she is very happy to be playing for Hawaii.”

Mitchem is expected to graduate next summer with a sociology degree. She is thinking about graduate school to pursue sports nutrition. There might be professional playing offers as well.

“In high school I was always wondering why I had to go to class,” she said. “Then I realized I would never make it if I didn’t start taking it seriously. It was hard to finish that AA, but I did and I’m proud of myself that I could make it here.”

Note

Her indoor career will be over soon but likely not Mitchem’s career as a Wahine. She said she likely will play beach volleyball in spring for the SandBows. Mitchem played two seasons on the beach for Pestolesi at IVC.