Practice is a week old. Hawai'i opens its season against top-ranked Nebraska in 10 days at the AVCA/NACWAA Women's Volleyball Showcase. The shortest distance between those two points is a blur for the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine.

Even with every starter returning there is enough upheaval and sense of urgency to create confusion. Add to that an opening-week ankle injury to sophomore Tara Hittle, one of the team's best ballhandlers, and the blur grows even fuzzier.

Hittle landed on a teammate with her right ankle while blocking last week. The sprain is serious enough that UH coach Dave Shoji does not expect her to play at all in the front row next week, and only hopes she can contribute in the back.

"We've been saying all along that we have depth, but she does a lot for us," Shoji says. "Her defensive skills are probably unmatched by anybody on the team. That's what we're going to miss most — her passing and defense."

Hittle's injury has simplified the five-pronged search for starting left-side hitters by 20 percent, for now. Shoji says returning starter Alicia Arnott and Oregon transfer Sarah Mason are the leading candidates to start next week in Omaha.

The middle position opposite second-team All-American Victoria Prince remains wide open. Shoji has Kanoe Kamana'o (setter), Ashley Watanabe (libero), Susie Boogaard (right side) and Prince inked in as starters.

Through graduation, spring training, injuries and turnover, Rainbow Wahine practice nearly always starts in the same place this time of year, and with the same goal: a national championship. Even a year ago, after seven starters graduated, Shoji's first day of practice looked much like his 15th day, or 15th year. He claims there is no time to waste.

Now freshman Jamie Houston and five walk-ons are the only players who haven't been with the team at least a semester. For them, the blur of training camp can be blinding, with little time to adjust their eyes. They are expected to focus, fast.

"They just have to see what's going on in practice, pick up things on their own," Shoji says. "We don't stop and explain every single drill and skill. We give them feedback but we don't start from scratch. We have 15 returnees so we had to go fast."

Hittle was one who came in cold a year ago. She knew no one and had no clue what to expect. She couldn't even conquer the workout manual every athlete is given during the summer, never admitting to Shoji that she had lifted so little in high school she didn't understand half the book.

But with no fear of failing, or embarrassing herself, Hittle found "nothing was off-the-wall really hard" and picked up enough — fast enough — to start from the second match on.

"I had no help. I don't think you need it," she says now. "I always let people figure things out. You have to learn for yourself. That's how I learn things for the long term. Well, I don't always learn, but it's just like when your mom tells you not to do something. You do it anyway, then figure out that's why she told you not to do it."

This season's fast pace was enhanced when nearly the entire team trained together here on their own over the summer.

Sophomore defensive specialist Kelly Ong made four trips home to Oakland, for four days each. She was here every Tuesday, when the players concentrated on running to prepare for the sprint test each has to pass before practice starts.

It consists of 16 100-meter sprints run consecutively, with two turns, in the gym. The fastest players — a group that includes most of the defensive specialists, both setters and Prince — have to finish each sprint in 16 seconds, the next group in 17 and the last in 18.

Ong says sticking around is the best thing she could have done.

"I worked out as hard in the summer as I did in the spring," she said. "If I went home that wouldn't have happened. I had the local girls pushing me."

Two years ago, Ong came here as a walk-on, never expecting to play and didn't. That changed, much to her surprise, last year. Now her advice for those not quite sure what's happening the first few weeks is simple.

"Just keep playing," Ong says. "If you love it, just keep on playing because I love it and I just kept on playing. Listen to the coaches. When they give you feedback to make you better, if you use it they notice that stuff. Don't be down on yourself. I was for a while, but I believe if you love this game your dream can come true."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.