University of Hawai'i left-side hitter Lauri Hakala competed in all phases of yesterday's three-hour practice and is poised to play in Friday's road volleyball match against Brigham Young.

Hakala had missed the three previous matches because of an abdominal strain. He had been limited to light passing drills for more than a week.

But yesterday, Hakala, a third-year senior and co-captain, competed in hitting drills, as well as three full-length games.

"I can feel it, but it's not getting worse," Hakala said. "I was a little conscious of it for a while. But then you forget about it, which is good and bad. If you forget, it can get worse if you do too much. But it didn't hurt, which was good."

UH coach Mike Wilton had wanted Hakala to sit out the final practice game, which would last about 30 minutes. But Hakala insisted on playing.

"I could use the work," Hakala said. "I only practiced on the left side 10 times the whole year."

It was Hakala's switch from opposite attacker, where he was an All-America selection last year, to left-side hitter that contributed to his ailment. He said he suffered the injury when he reached back awkwardly to attack left-side sets.

Wilton praised Hakala's practice performance, saying, "I knew he would pass well. He served well. He blocked well. He started putting some heat on the ball, too."

Hakala and libero Eric Kalima, a converted outside hitter, are the Warriors' best passers.

"If Lauri is out on the floor, then Eric Kalima doesn't have to cover sideline to sideline," Wilton said. "We'll have two really good passers on the floor. So that means whoever the third passer is, he can have a sliver (of passing responsibilities) and those two can take the rest. Because Kalima right now is taking so much court, it was driving down his pass-efficiency numbers."

Sean Carney, a setter, said Hakala's presence in the rotation was helpful.

"He gives us leadership," Carney said. "He might not be 100 percent, but he can bring a lot to the court. He brings a lot of energy and knowledge of the game. It's important to bring him back."

Hakala said he will be less stubborn and signal if he is in pain. He aggravated the injury against UC Santa Barbara two weeks ago because of over-exertion.

"I did something stupid in the match and it hurt more," he said. "It's not worth hurting myself more."

SCHKUD WILL BE ON LEFT

Jake Schkud is expected to be the second left-side hitter. While Matt Vanzant is an effective passer, he is committing too many attack errors.

"I think he's going to be a really good player," Wilton said of Vanzant, a second-year freshman from Arizona. "But right now, he's all over the place."

SETTER BECKWITH AILING

Starting setter Brian Beckwith did not practice yesterday after suffering an allergic reaction to medication.

It was the second time that has happened his year.

The first time, he missed only one practice.

He is on the 13-player travel squad to Brigham Young.

NO HURRY TO FILL POST

Wilton said there is no urgency to fill the coaching position vacated by Jason Salmeri.

Salmeri resigned two weeks ago to enter the New Jersey state trooper program. Salmeri needed to leave at mid-season to prepare for the six weeks of police academy.

Salmeri had been with UH for two years, succeeding Aaron Wilton, who is attending graduate school on the Mainland.

UH is one of the rare NCAA men's volleyball programs with three full-time coaches. Tino Reyes is the associate head coach.

"Tino and I have coached together for so long," Mike Wilton said. "If we can put a little more on each other's plate, we can get it done."

Ryan Woodward, a former UH player, has been assisting in practices. Mason Kuo also has helped, but only during matches.

THIN AIR A CONCERN

To get used to Provo's thin air (elevation: 4,625 feet), the Warriors are departing a day earlier than usual for a road trip.

The Warriors practice this afternoon, then depart on a non-stop, red-eye flight to Salt Lake City. From there they will make the 50-mile drive to Provo, where they will practice tomorrow and Thursday.

UH is concerned about the thin air, which makes the ball sail. It will be an adjustment, particularly on serves.

"We need the extra day to adjust," Carney said.

What's more, Carney said, "BYU is always a tough opponent. They always have a good team and good players. They've been our school's rival forever."

WARRIORS AT NO. 12

After splitting with Southern California last week, the Warriors are ranked No. 12 in this week's CSTV/AVCA Division I-II men's top-15 volleyball poll.

Pepperdine received 15 of 16 first-place votes and is No. 1. BYU is No. 4.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.