For the University of Hawai'i volleyball team, every season started with an uphill challenge.

But for the first time in Mike Wilton's 15 seasons as UH head coach, the Warriors will not be required to take the Frank Street test — a sprint up the steep hill in Manoa.

Wilton decided the discipline, which turned All-Americans into all-out-of-breath Americans, was no longer necessary.

"I'm trying to be scientific," said Wilton, whose team meets British Columbia in tomorrow's 7 p.m. exhibition in the Stan Sheriff Center. "Specificity. We want to train specifically for volleyball."

One-mile runs are out; blocking repetitions are in.

Wilton and former U.S. Olympic coach Carl McGown, who served as a consultant during fall training, decided to redesign the Warriors' training methods.

"It's helped," said opposite attacker Lauri Hakala, the team's floor captain. Hakala said the Warriors spent most of fall training working on the quicker offense they implemented last season.

"We're more used to the system," Hakala said. "We have all of the potential to be better than we were last year."

The Warriors finished second, with a 19-3 regular-season record, in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the best of the three Division I-II volleyball leagues.

Although four of last season's starters completed their eligibility last April, the Warriors' only pressing concerns entering yesterday's first practice were middle blocker Dio Dante's health and the successor to All-America libero Alfee Reft.

Dante completed an intensive weight-training program last summer, and played well in fall camp before suffering a dislocated right thumb in October.

After that, Dante said, "I didn't play any real volleyball for two months. My preseason was shot."

He kept in shape by running. "It was pretty depressing that I couldn't do anything in volleyball," said Dante, who practiced yesterday.

The Warriors began auditions at libero. Ric Cervantes, a freshman who was raised in Santa Barbara, participated in fall workouts and is the leading candidate to start tomorrow.

At the urging of Reft — they were on the same club teams in Santa Barbara — Cervantes contacted the UH coaches last year.

"I wasn't highly recruited," Cervantes said. "I had to be proactive. Santa Barbara is a great town and all, but I needed a new experience. This is a great environment — the closest to Santa Barbara I'm going to get. It's a great volleyball environment."

Two players who were high school coaches in the fall — Michael China and Justin Ching — practiced yesterday. China, a Punahou School graduate, was a defensive specialist for Lewis in 2005.

"I wanted to come back home and try to get back to this living," China said. "I love Hawai'i so much."

He was helping Punahou's junior varsity volleyball team when he received a call from Sean Carney, UH's backup setter. Carney and China were Lewis teammates.

"He told me to contact the coaches because they were short on liberos," China recalled. "I called Tino (Reyes, the associate coach) and set up a date to have a mini tryout."

Soon after, he was invited to the two days of training camp.

"After I took that year off, I realized I'm only going to be young for so long," China said. "I wanted to try to play, and hopefully use my abilities to get on the team or make other guys better."

Ching, a 2005 Maryknoll School graduate, was coaching at Mid-Pacific Institute when he decided to try out for the Warriors. But with his commitment to MPI and a full course load, Ching decided he could not train with UH during the fall.

"I wanted to focus on school," Ching said. "I missed (volleyball) afterward."

Wilton said the position should be sorted after today's afternoon practice.

"Check Wednesday night and see who's suited up," Wilton said.

The one certainty is setter Brian Beckwith will control the offense for the fourth year in a row.

"It did go fast," Beckwith said. "I guess I should enjoy it. That's what everybody always says."

Beckwith, who is 6 feet 6, weighed 170 pounds as a freshman. Now he's 215.

"It's all good weight," said Beckwith, who spent the fall refining his jump serve. He was a float server as a freshman and sophomore.

"The consistency (with the jump serve) wasn't there last year," Beckwith said. "I'm way more consistent. I think I can help contribute to the team with tougher serves."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.