The walk from Mills Gym to the Stan Sheriff Center is an easy one. Maybe a mile, give or take the shortcut down Farrington Road and Varney Circle.

But making the playing journey from Mid-Pacific Institute to the University of Hawaii is another matter.

There are no shortcuts on the road to becoming a Division I setter.

Sophomore Dani Mafua knows that all too well. The heir-apparent to all-everything Kanoe Kamana'o red-shirted in 2006 only to end up playing behind UC Santa Barbara transfer Stephanie Brandt most of last season.

The setter battle was too close to call even through fall camp with Mafua finally winning the job. It validated all of her offseason work, the hours and hours dedicated to becoming stronger, physically and mentally.

“;It was frustrating at times,”; Mafua said of last season's sideline view. “;But I learned a lot of patience. From that it helped me bloom, become the person I am today.”;

That has translated to 13 starts for the sixth-ranked Wahine (12-2, 5-0 Western Athletic Conference), who put their 11-match winning streak on the line tonight against Louisiana Tech (2-11, 0-5).

That Mafua became a setter was pretty much a given, what with college playing aspirations and her height—or rather lack of it. Although she was predominately an outside hitter at Mid-Pac, the 5-foot-10 Mafua began the conversion to setter in club, playing for Ime 'Ike and current UH assistant coach Ryan Tsuji.

“;We basically formed Ime 'Ike around her, feeling that she would be the next setter for Hawaii,”; Tsuji said. “;She has the hands, a nice touch, and she's very athletic.

“;More than anything else I've seen in the past year is how she's more comfortable, more fluid. In high school, she was always asking about how she was doing, questioning her decisions. Now, she's confident she knows what she's doing.”;

It was definitely a mind-set to be learned. Following Kamana'o, an All-American and UH career assist leader, would be a tough act to follow.

  Mafua started the opening match last season but soon gave way to the more experienced Brandt. Brandt, the Big West assists leader as a freshman for the Gauchos, started the final 32 matches last year, with Mafua seeing limited action in the front row, mostly for blocking purposes.

“;Dani wasn't ready technically to play at the level we needed,”; Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. “;Experience-wise, she needed more time.

“;She and Stephanie are really pretty even. It's nothing that Stephanie isn't doing, it's more about how improved Dani is and, when we're in-system, Dani is giving us what we need.”;

But when Mafua was unable to play Sept. 29 at San Jose State due to an inner ear infection, Brandt led Hawaii to a sweep over the Spartans.

  “;When Stephanie is in there, I'm happy,”; Mafua said. “;I respect her as a teammate, a player and a friend. She pushes me, I push her, and we're both better because of it.”;

And Brandt, with a wicked serve, has played quite a bit in Hawaii's modified 6-2 offense.

But for now, it's Mafua's show to run.

“;The biggest difference in her is her footwork,”; said associate coach Mike Sealy, a former All-American setter at UCLA. “;She's also found her hands. She had some mechanics that we fixed. It's one thing to tell her to change mechanically, but she's the one putting in the effort and time to make that change.

“;The play-calling is almost 100 percent hers. We (as coaches) may call a timeout, look at the charts and mention some tendencies but we're rarely calling something from the bench. She's a young setter and she's only going to get better.”;

  Although Mafua originally thought about going to the mainland for school, she orally committed to Hawaii early as a junior.

“;I think in the back of my head, I always wanted to be a Wahine,”; she said. “;I wanted to play in front of my whole family. That's really a great thing.”;

That distance between Mills Gym and the Sheriff Center gets shorter all the time.