It is the final month of a five-year University of Hawai'i volleyball career, and middle blocker Dio Dante has a new role.

"Dio is the man," setter Brian Beckwith said.

Indeed, the easy-going Dante has emerged as an on-court leader during the Warriors' playoff drive.

He was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Player of the Week Monday after dominating UC San Diego in a two-match sweep last weekend.

Dante downplayed the achievement, noting the Tritons are last in the MPSF. But it is apparent in recent weeks that Dante has been extending his arms farther over the net on block attempts and displaying more lateral quickness.

"Dio is doing a real nice job for us," head coach Mike Wilton said.

Dante attributes his improved play to a season-long diet. Dante, who is 6 feet 7, has lost 15 pounds since early January, and now weighs 235. He reduced his intake of meat to one serving a day.

"I had too much excess weight to do what I wanted to do," Dante said. "I feel much better now."

His good health coincides with the Warriors' rejuvenated condition. The Warriors have won four MPSF matches in a row to move into a tie for eighth place with Southern California. Eight teams qualify for the MPSF playoffs, and the Warriors have the tie-breaker advantage over USC.

The Warriors' final four matches are against two opponents — Long Beach State this weekend and Stanford next week — with worse MPSF records.

If the season were to end today, the Warriors would be in the play-in match.

"But it's not going to end today," Beckwith said. "That's why we're ready to keep going. We're pumped. We have nothing to lose. We're trying to play aggressively and be as competitive as possible."

Wilton said he takes "a cursory look at the standings on Mondays. That's it. All that matters is: who do we play next?' We can't worry about anything else."

The Warriors, who returned from San Diego last Saturday, leave this afternoon for Long Beach. While it is a short turnaround, the time in Hawai'i allowed the players to catch up on school work, Wilton said.

The practice schedule was another matter. An hour before Monday's practice, the Warriors learned the Stan Sheriff Center would not be available while workers set up for an Easter weekend concert.

The physical education department is using Gym I this morning, forcing the Warriors to practice in Klum Gym.

Still, Beckwith said: "It was good to go to the home base to get recharged before going back on the road."

The Warriors had a spirited practice yesterday. Eric Kalima, who has sore knees, practiced at libero, although he will play left-side hitter against Long Beach State. The Warriors' six-game winning streak began when Lauri Hakala moved to opposite attacker, Kalima to left-side hitter and Ric Cervantes winning the libero job.

"We've had a lot of lineups and different positions, but everything is good now," Hakala said. "We're playing a lot better as a team. We're trying to win every match."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.