In college volleyball, success is graded on the pass/fail system.

That was apparent last year, when Hawai'i's season came to a stunning end after the Warriors failed to accurately pass Long Beach State's dancing serves.

The Warriors promise better results for matches against the 49ers tonight and tomorrow night in the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It's not going to be the same game because we're not the same team," said Matt Carere, UH's floor captain. "I think we're a more tenacious team this year. We're more aggressive in every part of the game."

After the opening-round loss in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs, the Warriors reaffirmed their commitment to the serve-and-pass phase. Carl McGown, who coached Brigham Young to two national championships, was brought in as a consultant during fall training. More time now is spent on passing drills in practices.

"We put in the work, definitely, the hours," said libero Alfee Reft, one of UH's three primary passers. "I think it's a mental thing. Guys are more confident this year."

In last year's playoff meeting, the 49ers befuddled the Warriors with jump-float serves. The Warriors, in particular, had difficult passing middle blocker Duncan Budinger's float serves to the UH left sideline. The 49ers scored 14 points on Budinger's 25 serves, including four-point runs in Games 1 and 2.

"Duncan has the ability to score from the endline," 49er coach Alan Knipe said. "He has a couple of different serves. He's talented."

While Budinger can rip a jump serve, he is most effective with deep- and short-float serves.

It would appear that the float serve should be more manageable than a blazing jump serve, much like a baseball change-up pitch should be easier to hit than a fastball. But if timed correctly, a batter can hit a fastball, much in the way a volleyball defender can pass a fast serve.

But passing a float serve, which follows a high arc, requires a change in technique. A passer usually uses his forearms to receive a jump serve; with floaters, a passer often uses his raised hands. Also, floaters can be served short, forcing a defender to run up to make a pass. If a defender cheats by sneaking a few steps ahead, a floater can be placed near the endline.

Knipe said Budinger "hits his areas very well, which is kind of a lost art in men's volleyball."

The biggest challenge, perhaps, is that MPSF teams have no more than two jump-float servers in the rotation.

"There are a lot of guys banging big jump serves," UH middle blocker Mauli'a LaBarre said. "The one or two guys on each team with float serves is throwing everyone off. If a server can keep the jump-float in the court, the passers are going to have a tough time with it."

LaBarre is the Warriors' only pure jump-float server, a skill that has been helpful in preparing for Budinger.

"We see (the jump-float) every day in practice," Carere said. "Mau's serve is one of the tougher ones. We should be able to handle it (in the match)."

The Warriors also are concerned about outside hitter Robert Tarr, who is averaging 5.58 kills per game, and senior Tyler Hildebrand, an All-America setter who led the 49ers to the NCAA Championships the past two years.

This season, Tarr has received 34 percent of the 49ers' sets. He has more than twice as many kills as the 49ers' second-leading attacker.

"He's not really a vocal guy a lot of the time, but he's learned how to lead by example in our gym," Knipe said.

Knipe praised Hildebrand as a "special kid. He's very self-confident in his game, but not to the point where he's cocky or arrogant to his teammates. He's a great teammate."

So, too, is UH's John Matt Bender, who is on the 13-player active roster for the first time since suffering torn ligaments in his left ankle during training camp. Bender, who said the ankle "is not 100 percent," might be used as a serving specialist. His most significant contribution has been energizing this week's practices.

"I figure, if I'm not out there banging balls, I'd better be yelling at the top of my lungs and encouraging other guys to do it," Bender said.

Wilton said: "He's figured out it's a game. It's supposed to be fun. He's an important part of our team."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.