GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii setter Cayley Thurlby is a co-captain for the Rainbow Wahine despite being the backup to Kanoe Kamana'o.

UH’s Thurlby has
seen it all from her
spot on the bench

The No. 2 setter is respected as
one of UH's captains, but still
pines for playing time

She knows all about lemons and lemonade.

About not having the sweet without knowing the sour.

And about how No. 2 tries harder.

All the clichés in the world don't change the reality of Cayley Thurlby's volleyball world. She is, for a third straight year, the backup setter for fourth-ranked Hawaii.

Not that it's OK. It's not. Not for the very competitive Thurlby.

But the junior from Naperville, Ill., has accepted the role of playing behind All-American Kanoe Kamana'o because this is just the way things are. Whether she gets in against No. 1 Nebraska in tomorrow's season opener or not, she will be the best co-captain she can be ... on the court or from the sidelines.

Thurlby's in a unique position. Only she and senior Susie Boogaard have been to Nebraska and seen the Lil' Red sea.

It came in the 2002 regional final in Lincoln, where the Rainbow Wahine prevented Nebraska from advancing to the final four for a third straight year. Hawaii's 3-1 win also snapped the Huskers' 63-match home winning streak, at the time the longest in the nation. Boogaard played in three games, with one kill in five swings.

"I didn't play, but I consider it my greatest athletic thrill," said Thurlby, who made the traveling team as a redshirt freshman. "The looks on their faces when we beat them ... the way our team worked together. It was awesome.

"There's going to be a lot of red in the arena this week, a lot of energy. Their fans are like ours -- very knowledgeable, mature, been around the game a long time, have all the T-shirts. ... A lot of our girls will have their eyes opened. But the important thing is to not get caught up in the hype. It comes down to doing the same things you've been doing every day in practice but doing it with a passion and an edge to get you through."

Thurlby could see time as a setter, a libero or a defensive specialist. Wahine coach Dave Shoji wants to use her as much as he can.

"Cayley's in a tough situation," he said. "She's a 'tweener. A few more inches and she'd be playing outside. (Thurlby's listed at a generous 5-foot-11). She could be playing for a number of other teams in the country.

"She's a very good player and has improved in every aspect of her game. Unfortunately for her, she's behind Kanoe. These days, you've got to have two good setters and it's little consolation for her to be setting the second team. But we'll continue to try to get her in as much as we can."

On Tuesday, Thurlby set the first team when Kamana'o sat out with an injured toe. It was big and it wasn't big. It was what she was supposed to do.

"I just want to be ready whenever Dave calls my name," Thurlby said. "Kanoe and I work pretty well together. We both bring different things to the team. I wasn't really surprised when the girls picked us as captains. It's a natural position, being the setter.

"There are a lot of leaders on this team and they have different styles and different ways of leading. Kanoe leads more by example, I have an intense personality. She and I both learn from each other. She's gifted in ways that I'm not and I have talents she doesn't have. I'm sure if they could fuse us into one player, they would."

Thurlby has been in this situation before. It happened on her club team, where she was behind Sam Tortorello, now the senior All-American setter for Penn State. If all works out the way Thurlby wants, she and Tortorello will finally meet Saturday in the AVCA/NACWAA Showcase championship.

"I'm really excited," Thurlby said. "I played club with Sam for six years. She's like my sister. And another setter, (Nebraska's) Maggie Griffin, is also from our club, although she's younger than us. It's cool that we share the experience and it is impressive that three setters from the same club are in the top programs in the country.

"I'm really excited for the year. I think we're better than last year. Each girl has grown physically and mentally. There's so much talent, so much depth. But we're going to have to work harder. Everyone had so much shock value last year. It won't be that way this year."

The one thing that hasn't changed is Thurlby backing up Kamana'o.

"Sure, it is hard not being out there," Thurlby said. "But for me I guess it's all part of growing up. I'm being patient because that's what I have to do.

"I'm pretty sound on my faith. God brought me here for a reason.

"It's all about patience and hard work, about showing Dave (Shoji) I can play any position he wants. I know my time will come, either now or the future. I plan on milking my volleyball career as far as I can. I want to go to Europe and if I can do it playing beach volleyball, that would be great."

Thurlby came to UH with impressive credentials: two-time all-state, a Fab 50 pick, an AAU All-American. The No. 31-ranked recruit in the Class of 2002. She chose Hawaii -- the state and the school -- not just for volleyball.

"When I first began talking to my dad (Cal) about coming here, I knew I wanted to go somewhere that if volleyball didn't work out, or if I got hurt, that I'd be happy," Thurlby said. "I'm getting more from this experience than I could ever have gotten anywhere else.

"I've never been the type of player where it's about the visible rewards. I know I do things that go unnoticed and of course it's hard because there are days when I want to be out there (playing). But I know that I'm doing what I love, what I want to do. I'm using this for the future, using every opportunity to my advantage."

Off-court, the journalism major has interned for KHON2 sports and recently was accepted into UH's two-year program. She eventually wants to become a sportscaster.

But this week, the focus is volleyball and working hard, getting better and winning. And knowing what to do when the lemons come her way.