It is about embracing the role, whichever is handed out, expected or unexpected.

Still, it is not always easy to go from leader to cheerleader. Yet it is what UC Riverside’s Ka‘iulani Ahuna has been dealing with since the 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter went down with a knee injury at 8-8 in Set 1 of a Big West volleyball match at Long Beach State on Sept. 18.

With the Highlanders (5-9, 0-3 Big West) playing at Hawaii (6-5, 2-0) on Saturday, Ahuna is hoping not just to get on the court but to get on the plane. The Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate has to be cleared to fly before being cleared to play.

“We’re taking it day by day,” UCR coach Michelle Patton-Coleman said in a phone call Tuesday. “We will see what the doctor says and make the best decision.

“It was a tough thing to see happen, but immediately after it did, she was there supporting her teammates, stepping into that supportive role on the sidelines. That’s just the type of person she is, someone who is selfless and wants the best for the team and wants to help everyone around her get better.”

Despite missing the past two-plus matches — all losses — Ahuna remains the team leader in kills (213). Her 5.07 kps average is second in the conference and fifth nationally, and she is ranked nationally in attacks (second, 13.86 aps) and points (ninth, 5.32 pps).

The Hilo native also has four of the top 10 single-match performances in the Big West, including No. 1 with 34 kills in a five-set win over Idaho on Sept. 14. That led to Ahuna being named the AVCA national player of the week, her career-high performance breaking UCR’s Division I record.

“Receiving that highest accolade has been my favorite memory of my career so far,” Ahuna said of the national honor. “But I owe it to my teammates, especially my setter, and my coaches.

“I think it’s a reflection of all the hard work we put in over the offseason. It was pretty awesome.”

After Ahuna led the Warriors to four Big Island Interscholastic Federation championships, she wanted to “go to the mainland and get that experience,” ending up at Eastern Washington. As a sophomore, she led the Eagles in kills, was second in digs, had seven double-doubles (kills-digs) and was named to the Big Sky all-academic team.

Then “it was a time for a change,” Ahuna said. “I felt I had outgrown my old school. I reached out (to UCR).

“I think the change from living in Hilo to Washington was harder than the change from Washington to Riverside. The hardest thing in both places was not having family around. But almost from the minute I got (to UCR) it felt like family.”

As with many players who leave Hawaii, trying to stay connected with the islands can be a challenge. It goes beyond trying to find good poke, particularly for someone who attended Kamehameha-Hawaii from kindergarten through 12th grade.

“I loved the integration of our culture into our studies,” Ahuna said. “I danced hula through high school and I have peeked into some hula classes here. I miss that.”

Asked about one day competing in the Merrie Monarch, she said: “That’s a whole other sport.”

The focus for the immediate future is to rehab successfully in order to get back on the court, possibly as soon as Saturday. The media and culture major hopes to play professionally, maybe coach and pursue a career in sports media.

Coming home this week would mean a lot. It would be her final time in the Stan Sheriff Center; last season she had five kills in two sets as the Highlanders were swept.

“It’s always a dream to be able to play in front of your family,” she said.