RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM

Smoke on the water

Kanoe Kamana'o spent time this
summer in Switzerland playing on
the U.S. A2. It gave her hope for
the future ... and the present

WHEN SHE stepped out onto her balcony in Montreaux, Switzerland, this past summer, Kanoe Kamana'o didn't just see the early-morning mists dancing on Lake Geneva.

She saw her future.

And she saw hope.

Kamana'o, the current Hawaii All-American setter, was backing up her idol, former Hawaii All-American setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, on the U.S. A2 team during international competition in Switzerland.

"I saw players my height setting," said Kamana'o, generously listed at 5-foot-8. "It gave me something to look forward to.

"I watched Robyn (also listed at 5-8) and thought, 'If she can do it, I can do it.' It's amazing to see what she does. I have idolized her since I was young. She puts me in awe, she is such a great leader."

Although the U.S. team was swept in all four of its matches, Kamana'o didn't consider them losses.

"It was such a good experience," she said. "The level of play was a lot higher, national-team level. It was very competitive. And it was a nice change for me.

"There were a lot of college players on our team. Only three had gone to the Olympics -- Robyn, Danielle Scott and Tayyiba Haneef (both former Long Beach State players). We got swept in all of them, 0-and-12, but it was OK. I learned so much. It was one of the best tournaments I've played in."

Kamana'o, in the USA Volleyball pipeline since she was 13, has been on a number of traveling teams. It was her first trip to Switzerland and "it was a beautiful country," she said. "It's so green, with tons of flowers. The surroundings are very natural.

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM

"Where we stayed ... it was about 40 yards from the balcony to the lake. I could look out on the water. It was beautiful and a lot of fun."

The experience has energized her for the upcoming season. While some teams would consider 30-1 to be a mark of success, Kamana'o said the Rainbow Wahine have a collective goal to get beyond the sweet 16, where their season ended last December.

"A lot of the girls had never finished that high before and now we know what it takes to get beyond," she said. "We know the little things to correct, individually and as a team.

"Last year, it was do or die. Our mind-set has to change, especially when it comes to crunch time. As for expectations ... it's hard to say. We have basically the same team coming back -- we only lost two players. I know the community has a lot of expectations for us. We were a new team last season and we now know what to expect from each other."

They don't want to settle for less than a trip to San Antonio, site of this year's final four. In 2003, Kamana'o got to share her Freshman of the Year award with her teammates while at the All-American banquet. Last year, it was just her, teammate Victoria Prince and coach Dave Shoji representing Hawaii at the luncheon.

For Kamana'o , the more (Wahine), the merrier. She has seen the dedication in the offseason, the commitment in the weight room even before school started in January. All of the returning players stayed for the summer to train.

They'll learn how much it all paid off early. This week, the tests will be hard.

First up, preseason favorite Nebraska in Omaha, just 60 miles from campus. There will be plenty of Husker Nation fans who still remember Hawaii eliminating the host Huskers in the 2002 regional final.

Second, either defending national champion Stanford or a veteran Penn State team.

"A lot of us are anxious," Kamana'o said. "We have basically the same team, but we feel we can be a lot stronger. We've added Jamie (freshman Houston) and Sarah (Oregon junior transfer Mason).

"We know how it feels not to get where we wanted to go."

Personally, 2004 was a great season for Kamana'o. She again was named an All-American, was the WAC Player of the Year, had 22 double-double matches (assists-digs) and was the only player in the country to average more than 13 assists, three digs and one block per game.

But that's not what she is -- or ever has been -- about. All of her success, all of her accolades have not changed her core.

Kamana'o continues to be the humble, grateful player with the "Team First" idealism.

Kamana'o turned 20 on Aug. 9, the same day the 2005 Rainbow Wahine team officially began its practice and its quest for the NCAA title.

The Manoa morning mist wasn't the same as the wisps on Lake Geneva, but there was a sense of deja vu.

Kamana'o had another glimpse of her future.

And she saw hope.