IRVINE, Calif. >> Hawaii had an hour of practice to get reacquainted with the Bren Events Center on Thursday.

Chances are, Brett Sheward felt right at home the moment he walked through the door with the Rainbow Warrior volleyball team.

Sheward grew up in neighboring Newport Beach, Calif., about a 10-minute drive from UC Irvine’s home arena, and was a regular at Anteaters matches over the years, including a few of Hawaii’s visits.

“I came to watch all of the time. I remember watching Kupono (Fey),” Sheward said, referencing the former Warrior and current UH assistant coach. “But I’ve been coming here since I was 8 to watch matches.

“It was cool to see (college volleyball) first-hand. Obviously, it’s a lot higher level than when you’re playing club, and you think, ‘Wow, these guys are really good.’ It was cool to just be around the game and talking to people.”

Now an All-Big West libero for the two-time defending national champion Rainbow Warriors, Sheward will be under the lights in the Bren today when top-seeded Hawaii (26-2) faces UC Santa Barbara (8-16) in the semifinals of the Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship. First serve is set for 2 p.m.

While being back in Irvine brings back some memories for Sheward, “I think we’re all pretty focused and staying in the present,” he said.

“I think there needs to be a heightened level of focus and intensity for everything, just knowing what we’re playing for,” he said. “It’s playoff time, so everyone has to raise their game and raise their level of engagement and focus.”

After arriving in Irvine on Wednesday morning, the Warriors made the most of their allotted practice time in the arena on Thursday afternoon and returned later in the evening to scout UCSB’s five-set win over UC San Diego in the tournament’s opening match.

“Just get out and move around, get the blood pumping, and at this time of year less is more,” UH coach Charlie Wade said after the Warriors’ on-court workout. “There’s a finite number of jumps left for everybody, and we don’t need to be maxing it out at this time of year for sure.”

Born into a volleyball family, Sheward spent much of his time growing up playing on the beach in Orange County, developing the skills that would carry him to Hawaii for his college career.

“It’s a hub for sure, it’s been awesome,” Sheward said of the Southern California volleyball scene. “Everybody kind of knows each other, so it is a small community in that sense, but a lot of good volleyball players come out of here.”

Sheward practiced as a libero as a UH redshirt in 2019, then earned eight starts at setter before the 2020 season was cut short by the pandemic. He backed up Jakob Thelle in UH’s 2021 title run and made the full-time move to libero last year.

He’s started all 28 matches this season, including five at setter in relief of Thelle, and enters this week’s tournament averaging a team-high 2.13 digs per set, good for second in the Big West and 12th in the country. He was rewarded on Tuesday as one of six UH players voted to the All-Big West first team by the league’s coaches.

“It was kind of cool, but I don’t really care about that kind of stuff, to be honest,” Sheward said. “I just just focus on the game and do what’s best for the team.”

Said Wade: “He’s literally one of the best at that position in the country and nice to see him get that recognition. He’s worked hard at it.”