Seemingly out of nowhere, Matt Vanzant has emerged as the answer to the University of Hawai'i volleyball team's quest for a multi-skilled outside hitter.

The second-year freshman from Arizona has gravity-defying leaping ability and a powerful right-armed swing.

And his place in the starting rotation can be partly traced to the juice.

To supplement his mother's contributions to his school and living expenses, Vanzant worked for a year at Jamba Juice in Waikiki.

"Everything was really cool," he said. "It was fun. I learned how to make smoothies. I've been out of the game for a while, but I think I can remember some of them."

The most popular was Orange Dream Machine. "It was vanilla frozen yogurt, orange juice, soy milk and ice," he said.

Now Vanzant has created his dream concoction: a key role on the CSTV/AVCA's third-ranked team.

"He's doing a nice job," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "He gets on the ball in a hurry, and he can really get off the ground."

Vanzant was not supposed to be in the Warriors' immediate plans.

Vanzant, who has played volleyball only since his sophomore year in high school, redshirted last season. That meant he practiced exclusively in the area of Gym I reserved for players not on the active roster.

"When he was on the third court, he wasn't fooling around," said associate head coach Tino Reyes, who first noticed Vanzant during a juniors tournament in California in 2005. "He was taking things seriously. He paid his dues."

The thing is, Vanzant admittedly spent more time hitting volleyballs than the books. He said his grades slipped, and he was not allowed to play in exhibition matches last fall.

"I picked it up (academically) last semester, and now I'm fine," he said.

When illnesses and injuries created openings on the left side, Vanzant was summoned. He serves as a primary passer, assists on the block, and is the third-option attacker.

At 6 feet 2, his relatively modest height is off set by his leaping ability. He can touch 11-4. In last week's matches, his strong serves, launched from the right corner, disrupted Pacific's offense.

Most significant, he has become an effective passer. He works extra on passing before and after practices. He also hits volleyballs against a wall to strengthen his arms.

"I guess my passing got a lot better," Vanzant said. "It wasn't too good earlier. As long as you're passing well, you can be on the court. It takes a lot of reps, and tons of serve-and-pass drills."

Reyes said: "It's not a big secret. If you want to be successful, you have to work at it."

Meanwhile, middle blocker Kyle Klinger, who did not play last week after recovering from flu-like symptoms, said he is healthy for this weekend's Outrigger Invitational.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.