All you need to know about Stephanie Brandt is that as she nears the end of her University of Hawai'i volleyball career she is playing a position she never gets to practice, and is all but flawless.

Brandt's skills are so versatile and refined that no matter where she plays — and she has played everywhere but the middle for the Rainbow Wahine — she makes meaningful contributions.

"She epitomizes a team player," said UH coach Dave Shoji, whose third-ranked team plays BYU-Hawai'i tonight. "She practices one role (setter) and in the game she plays another role (defensive specialist). She knows if there's an injury (at setter) she's in. She embraces that role we've given her. Not all kids can buy into that."

Brandt was the starting setter her first year here after transferring from UC Santa Barbara, where she started as a freshman after turning down New Mexico State. "Steph had a little more game savvy than Dani (Mafua) did at that time (2007)," Shoji said. "She provided us with instant credibility at the position."

But it was Mafua who was most comfortable setting the fast tempo Hawai'i needed to get back into the top five with its small, quick attackers. Mafua blossomed into an honorable mention All-American at setter last year as a sophomore. Brandt has moved to defensive specialist, serving, digging and sacrificing her body in the backrow.

In spring games, she also hit and played libero. Brandt has started and subbed, been a focal point and a role player. Through all of it, she has been so accomplished that nearly everything she touches "betters the ball," which is what the game is all about.

"It doesn't matter to me," Brandt insists. "Wherever you want me, I'll go."

Maybe even more crucial to the fragile existence of a team's chemistry, Brandt has swallowed her pride and provided the kind of positive energy that keeps teams from fracturing. She has embraced a role that grows in importance as the opposition grows in stature.

"I think I'm pretty positive out there," Brandt said. "I just really enjoy playing, especially defense. That's why I don't mind obviously I'd love to play more, but being DS is fun because you get to focus on that one skill and I really enjoy defense. It's a challenge. How hard of a hit can I dig perfectly? Can I read the hitter perfectly? Constantly challenging yourself to get everything up."

In practice, pretty much all Brandt does is set, in scrimmages and drills. If Mafua is out, Brandt will set the next serve. "I definitely don't want to go in and have us play at a lower level," she said.

Mafua did get hurt before last year's WAC Tournament. The 'Bows' backup earned all-tournament honors — for the second straight year. There is almost no discernible dropoff. "She delivers the same ball off the net as if I was out there," Mafua said.

Adds Shoji: "In another type of offense Brandt would have been really good. Our offense the tempo we want to play at is not her strong suit. She's more of a high-ball setter. But she's really good against the flow. She likes to take chances so she's fearless. She'll set anybody at any time, which in some systems is good, but not always ours."

So, for now, Brandt is all about serving and digging, with her good buddies Jayme Lee and Liz Ka'aihue. They challenge each other to come up with the perfect dig and prevent the ball from falling to the floor — ever.

Brandt also has one of the best jump-float serves in the country, according to Shoji. Despite playing part-time, she is fourth in the WAC in aces with 19 and scores 52 percent of the time — an exceptionally high number. She has 75 aces in her career and could finish among the Rainbow Wahine's top 10.

"She helps get teams in trouble," UH associate coach Kari Ambrozich said. "She can force it from the line. She also sits back (defensively) and waits on the ball. She doesn't panic. She's got the ability to make plays happen."

Brandt learned the serve when she came back to the game at age 14 after a parent-imposed break designed to prevent burnout. She has been "popping" it since, stopping her hand at the point of contact and not breaking her wrist. Teammate Amber Kaufman drives her float serve harder, but Brandt's looks like a lollipop until it rises as it reaches the passer, and creates chaos.

Brandt's passion for the sport has its roots in her competitive nature with older sisters Libby and Katy, who played for Penn. Whatever they did growing up in California, Stephanie wanted to do better. She has, for a top-ranked team where she has played a vital role — make that vital roles —since the day she transferred.

"There's no drama about her," Ambrozich said. "She works hard. She's like Jayme Lee in that she could complain and she doesn't. She totally bought into her role. It's not necessarily easy for her — she started at Santa Barbara and for us, then had a different role later in her career. But she's pretty supportive and she's gotten more supportive as her career has gone on, with Dani and her other teammates. She doesn't pout on the sidelines, she talks, a lot. She just goes incredibly hard. She's fun to be around."

Brandt's plan out of UCSB involved more than going to an elite program that had just lost an All-America setter. Her father Steve used to live in Hawai'i and she has reconnected with, and in some cases met, family here.

In that, playing for an extremely successful high-profile program — "You can't have a bad night in front of 6,000 fans" — she has lived out most of her Hawai'i dreams. Aside from being a part-time player with full-time passion, she has no regrets.

And, from the backrow view, it's easy to see why she is so good at the beach game that could be her future.

She has a good jump, "live arm" and hitting skills that would have her attacking for about 300 Division I teams. Her serving, digging and setting is much better than average. Shoji says she could pass for his team too, but it would be "unfair because she never takes reps in practice."

At 5 feet 9, blocking might be a problem, but players with Brandt's savvy always find a way around that on the sand. And her relentless style and upbeat attitude is even better suited for doubles than the indoor game.

"She's a scrappy player, indoors and on the beach," said Mafua, who has come to depend on Brandt's feedback and empathy. "She's very fluid. She makes beach look really easy and it is not."

Brandt plans to go to graduate school, but if she plays in the future, there is a good chance it will be on the beach.

"If I get involved with the right group of people, get a coach and a good partner," said Brandt, who has clearly put lots of thought into it. "One of my good friends, Dicey McGraw, plays for UCLA. She's like, 'We have to be beach partners.' That would be fun."

But first, there is more to accomplish indoors, from nearly every inch of the court.