The pandemic forced Tiffany Westerberg to spend more than a year away from her family in Canada.

In the extended interim, the Hawaii sophomore used the downtime to settle into her new on-court home with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.

A middle blocker for most of her career, Westerberg began the transition to the outside late in her freshman year in 2019 and reported for fall camp this week as a full-time pin hitter.

While sharing in the disappointment of having the 2020 indoor season canceled, Westerberg converted the gap in competition into an opportunity to sharpen the all-around techniques required of an outside hitter.

“I would say the COVID year didn’t really set me back as much just because I was allowed to work on my skills with the coaches in a small controlled setting,” Westerberg told reporters before the team’s afternoon practice session on Thursday.

“So I think in a way, it worked into my advantage, even though I would love to play volleyball.”

The 6-foot-3 Westerberg figures to provide the Wahine with height and versatility given her background in the middle and her current focus as an outside hitter/opposite.

She joined the program as a freshman in 2019 and contributed at both positions while playing in 21 matches and hitting .292 with 1.39 kills and 0.83 blocks per set.

“I would say 2019 season was a learning experience for sure, getting to know the gym culture, getting to know (head coach Robyn Ah Mow) and Coach Kaleo (Baxter), and what they expect from everyone,” Westerberg said. “And just playing collegiate volleyball, it’s totally different from club, so that year was very crucial for me.”

A middle blocker “since the start of my volleyball career,” Westerberg said she began seeing more time at outside hitter in practices about midway through the season and by the time the Wahine headed to the NCAA tournament her conversion was in full swing.

The move meant refining her passing and defensive skills. Along with working with the indoor coaches, Westerberg said playing beach volleyball in the spring provided valuable repetitions in the ball-control aspects of the game.

All the while, Westerberg dealt with being away from home once COVID-19 lockdowns went into effect in spring 2020. She was finally able to make the trip back to British Columbia, Canada, in May and spent about a month with her family before returning to Manoa in June.

Through the trials of the pandemic, Westerberg drew strength from the support of her Rainbow Wahine teammates.

“They’re always here for me. The girls are basically like a second family,” Westerberg said. “So if anyone needed help, or if anyone noticed someone being down, they were always there.”

Now that the Wahine are back in the gym, Westerberg is part of a deep competition with nine pin hitters — four returnees and five newcomers — on the depth chart. Brooke Van Sickle, a 5-foot-9 senior, is the most seasoned of the group after averaging 2.43 kills per set, good for fourth in the team in 2019, and 2.18 digs per set. The Wahine also return sophomores Riley Wagoner and Braelyn Akana.

“Our practice gym is super competitive,” Baxter said, now in his fifth year (though fourth season) as an assistant coach. “It’s loud and the girls get after it.

“We have your typical undersized outside hitters and we have some taller ones in the mix and, and it’s a good balance. They’re battling and they’re definitely competing every single day.”