The matrix is real.

The buy-in is big.

The competition for playing time is both.

Hawaii enters its seventh season of collegiate beach volleyball with expectations that exceed its third-place NCAA finish from last May. The 21-player roster is deep with talent, deeper than the Queen’s Beach sand upon which the Big West tournament will be played in late April.

The desire to win a national title also runs deep, fueled by the nine returnees who were so close and yet so far at the inaugural NCAA tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. Add the wide-eyed excitement from an impressive group of highly credentialed newcomers and nothing has changed coach Jeff Hall’s opinion from fall that “this could be the year.”

“I’m even more resigned to that fact,” Hall said before Tuesday’s practice at the Ching Complex courts. “We’re just so deep and veteran, and in athletics that’s a big key to success.

“I think it’s the same five teams (contending for the championship). I think it’s Pepperdine’s year (at No. 1), then maybe us and UCLA, then USC and Florida State. We have UCLA here the first weekend (Feb. 24-25 Rainbow Wahine Classic that includes Stanford), so we’ll find out quick where we are.

“We still have a long ways to go, but it’s really awesome. We are legitimately 21 deep, everyone on this team can play and they’re all beach players.”

The latter is a first for the SandBows, who have relied some on crossovers from the Rainbow Wahine indoor team in the previous six seasons. The only indoor player on this roster is Emily Maglio, a junior in beach eligibility, who capped her four-year indoor career with second-team All-America honors last month.

She no longer has her own personal double days.

“It’s nice to be able to focus on one thing,” said Maglio, a beach All-American in 2016. “It was rough, pulling sleds for indoor (morning workouts), then coming back for (beach practice) in the afternoons.

“It’s sad to leave indoor, but I’m excited after this year. Just thinking we can contend for a national championship is huge — whether it’s beach or indoor, that’s always big.

“It’s a great group with a lot of energy. I’m excited to start.”

Besides Maglio, there are three Canadians on the roster. Freshman Jenna Banz is redshirting, along with freshman Pani Napoleon from California, but graduate student Allyssah Fitterer (Victoria, B.C.) and freshman Lea Monkhouse are serious contenders for being in the pairs that comprise the five competition flights.

Fitterer, a four-year indoor player at Michigan State, and Monkhouse both played club for Defensa and “I watched her play at Michigan State, I was her biggest fan when I was in Grade 8,” Monkhouse said. “It’s funny we are on the same team now and she’s become my best friend.”

Hall said the hardest part will be deciding on the competition pairs. Several combinations return from last year’s 29-7 campaign that won a second straight Big West championship, including Maglio-Laurel Weaver and Ari Homayun-Carly Kan.

“Do we keep them together or split them up is the question,” Hall said.

That’s where the matrix comes in. Developed by assistant coach Evan Silberstein, every three days players will switch partners to find a fit. The pairs then will play against each other to determine in which flight they’ll be placed.

“There’s not a clear No. 1 through No. 5 right now,” Hall said. “It’s a super exciting problem, but at the same time, it’s incredibly challenging for the coaches.”