Every piece of the volleyball puzzle has to fit together for teams to win, but it is usually the outside hitter who has the final say. They take the most swings and end the most points. With the season starting Aug. 28 and All-American Jamie Houston graduated, Hawai'i has to replace four kills a set and its most dynamic, and erratic, hitter.

With ranked teams here every weekend for the first month, the seventh-ranked Rainbow Wahine have to fill the puka fast.

Fortunately, the heart of their ballhandling returns in one of the most exciting young hitters in the country and a senior who is among the most versatile. Both went to high school within a few miles of Manoa.

Kamehameha graduate Kanani Danielson, a third-team All-American as a freshman, and Punahou graduate Aneli Cubi-Otineru, an honorable mention All-American, are capable of keeping 35th-year coach Dave Shoji's hair from going gray almost by themselves in the backcourt. Both are exceptional passers and defenders, with Danielson remarkably quick and Cubi-Otineru gifted with wonderful instincts.

The bottom line will be burying volleyballs though, and those two will need to help fill Houston's high-flying shoes. Houston's "air apparent" is sophomore Stephanie Ferrell who, like Cubi-Otineru, had offseason surgery. At 6 foot 3, transfer Corinne Cascioppo is also a possibility. Senior Catherine Fowler, a backup middle last season, is making the transition outside to provide depth.

Traditionally in women's volleyball, the two left-side hitters get the majority of the sets, and nearly all out-of-system swings. Hawai'i tweaked that tradition last year, putting Houston opposite the setter (the right-side position), but shifting her left side for two front-row rotations, with Cubi-Otineru getting two on the right. Danielson took the most demanding position, hitting from the left all three front-row rotations — twice with just one other front-row hitter available.

Look for the tweak to return this year, particularly if Ferrell plays to her vast potential.

"The left-side hitters have got to be terminal," UH associate coach Mike Sealy said. "And they've got to be able to analyze the situation and know whether it's take a good swing and get a kill, or this ball I need to keep in play and give us another try."

Sealy swears the backrow set will also be a crucial part of the offense and Danielson's emergence is a major reason.

"Kanani is hands down one of the premier hitters in the country," Sealy said. "She has always been great at ball control and always a good attacker, but her attacking range is far superior to what it was in club. She's touching 10 (feet) 6 now, she's jumping 37 inches.

"The two things she lacked last year were blocking and backrow attack. Even in controlled environments and 3-on-3 practices she just couldn't generate a real kill in the backrow. Her backrow attack is just ridiculous now."

Sealy said one day, after thousands of repetitions here, the skill just clicked. Danielson also returns as a better blocker, getting in front of the hitter and reaching over the net. "Her new physicality ...," Sealy said. "She is so far over the net."

She is also sub-6 feet, as is Cubi-Otineru. The senior hits so hard — in the front row and serving — and covers so much court that the key for her is endurance.

The success of the third hitter could have a huge impact on that, with Ferrell the apparent wild card. The redshirt sophomore was not a starter last year, but had some good performances, including 8 for 9 against Louisiana Tech. She averaged over two kills a set as a sub and hit nearly .300. And, as much as Ferrell loves to play, she loves to hit more.

"I can honestly just hit balls all day until my shoulder gets sore," she said. "That's the best part of the game for me."

Now someone who has never started in college will be asked to carry a large load. If it's going to be Ferrell, she has to work on her focus and timing, particularly after a broken ankle prevented her from jumping until last month.

"Ferrell needs to pick up on the nuances of the setter's cadence," Sealy said. "Sometimes she just takes off like a freight train. She needs to learn to take a shorter approach and be really fast."

From what coaches have seen, there is every reason to believe Ferrell could be really good.

"She was very, very explosive and hit really high and hard at the end of last year," Sealy said. "She's not there yet, but like I told her, it's a perfect time to work on other parts of her hitting. She can't always be hitting high seam. She's got to find a way to take it around blocks and off blocks.

"Physically there is no stopping her. When she's on, she hits one of the heaviest balls in the country. She's still relatively new to the game. When she's on, she's having fun, got a big smile, having a great time playing. We've got to find a way to find that zone more often."

Cascioppo, a transfer from Mesa State, is working through mechanical changes. If she gets them, her size and skill allow her to go over the block with power offensively, and put up a big wall on defense.

"The frustrating part for her is you have to break her all down before you can build her back up so she's in that phase where you feel you can't do anything," Sealy said. "In actuality, she's making some great progress."

Fowler was a solid but erratic backup in the middle last year after transferring from Arkansas. Like Cascioppo and Ferrell, she has little experience against high-level teams. For all three, Sealy says the cure is simply to "put them in that situation over and over and over again, so it's not that bad anymore."

Only then, will all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.