Count on Keefe

Hawaii hitter Jessica Keefe can contribute wherever the team needs her

THE philosophy is simple:

"You do best what you know best."

It's how Jessica Keefe is approaching her business degree, thinking that sports marketing could be in her future.

WAC Volleyball At Stan Sheriff Center Schedule Today » Utah State at No. 15 Hawaii, 7 p.m. Sunday » Nevada at Hawaii, 4 p.m. Monday » Boise State at Hawaii, 7 p.m. Radio: All matches live, 1420-AM TV: All matches live, KFVE (Ch. 5)

"I've played sports my entire life," the sophomore hitter for the Hawaii volleyball team said. "It's something that is naturally easy to be a part of."

Keefe is trying to take the same approach with her Rainbow Wahine volleyball career, where it's been naturally easy to be a part of the 15th-ranked team but not so easy at getting to know her position.

Keefe was a middle at Ames (Iowa) High School, earning all-conference honors three times and all-state honors twice en route to being named the state's Gatorade player of the year as a senior. But the college plan for the 6-foot-1 Keefe was to convert her to an outside hitter, to take advantage of her athleticism and her quick arm swing.

Keefe's versatility in high school -- she played basketball and did the pentathlon one year in addition to volleyball -- moved with her to Honolulu. After seeing limited action as a redshirt freshman last season, Keefe has become the right-side hitter for all but one match, where she moved to left-side hitter to replace Jamie Houston, who was held out for disciplinary reasons.

Each position requires a different mind-set. Left-side hitters are traditionally more offensive whereas right-side hitters are counted on more for blocking and receive fewer sets.

"It takes a special person to play on the right," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "It's not an easy position. It's awkward to play on the right side as a right-hander, which is why you see so many left-handers on the right because it's more of a natural (arm) swing.

"Keefe's had to take reps on the left and right, and I'm sure she never envisioned playing the right that much. But it gives us a little more versatility and she's made a lot of improvement. She probably has the liveliest arm on the team, has a rifle for an arm and can definitely put the ball (down) on the floor."

For Keefe, whose redshirt year included rehabbing from an ACL surgery, either position is fine ... as long as she's on the court. She is all about making the most of a given opportunity, saying she'll play "wherever they put me."

"The right is more concerned about blocking and, when you do get a set, you have to make the best of it," she said. "You've got to do something with every set you get.

"On the left, you're taking the majority of the sets. The off-plays usually come to that side. It's a bigger responsibility. It's fun, because you get a lot of swings and who wouldn't want to hit the ball? But there's definitely added pressure of being the go-to person to get the team out of the tight situations."

But ask her for a preference ...

"At this point, I prefer the right," she said. "I'm becoming more comfortable with it.

"You really have to be up to speed on your blocking because you're blocking the other team's best hitter. On the right, I can see the block better.

"I've been trying elevate my blocking and be the consistent person for the team to count on."

One teammate who has turned to Keefe is Nickie Thomas, who suffered an ACL injury the third match of the season and is likely out the rest of the year. Thomas and Keefe had already grown close -- the two redshirted in 2004 and both had limited playing time in 2005.

Since Keefe knows the ACL rehab routine, "that's helped me a lot," Thomas said. "She's been through it."

"I see her in the training room, doing the (rehab) program and all I think is, 'Deja vu,' " Keefe said. "But Nickie is such a strong person, much stronger than I was in high school. She's handling it a lot better than I did."

Although calling it surreal, Keefe has handled the move from Iowa to the islands well. She went from basketball-crazy Iowa to volleyball-crazy Hawaii.

"Three years later, I can't believe I'm living in a tropical paradise where I'm going to school and playing volleyball," she said. "I have to say I definitely got my share of good luck.

"It's so easy, making the transition, knowing you're going to be on a team. It's a great feeling knowing you're going to have 18 best friends right away. It's such a growing and learning experience. It's much more than liking each other. I genuinely adore each one of my teammates and I respect them."

For Keefe, her biggest challenge is her confidence. To her, volleyball is unique because it is a mental game.

"Not only do you have to be physically able, you have to be mentally able," she said. "That is my biggest battle."

It's very much like the battle the team is waging to keep its Western Athletic Conference winning streak alive. It's at 110 going into tonight's match with Utah State.

"There's definitely pressure because we don't want to be the team that puts it to rest," Keefe said. "There's so much history but at the same time it is history. We have to focus on one game at a time, worry about what's in front of us.

"It's hard to be successful and think about 110 games in the past."

Keefe was 12 when Hawaii last lost in the WAC on Oct. 10, 1998, at BYU.

"That definitely gives some perspective to it." she said. "I think all of us want to continue the tradition and have our legacy be part of that even bigger legacy."