Red hair.

Six-foot-5.

Canadian accent.

There's no overlooking Steven Hunt.

But that's not what caught the attention of fellow Hawaii freshman outside hitter Gus Tuaniga when he first saw Hunt on the volleyball court.

“;It was like, 'Whoa, he's a really good player,' “; Tuaniga said. “;I thought it was going to be me against him for the position.

“;But it's worked out so that we both are getting to play. He's become my best friend.”;

Injury and circumstance have put both true freshmen in the starting lineup for No. 11 Hawaii (1-2), which opens Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play tonight against No. 3 Pepperdine. While Tuaniga got off to a slower start in last week's Outrigger Hotels Invitational, Hunt came out swinging, finishing with 35 kills, second on the team.

“;There were a few butterflies that first night, which is to be expected,”; said Hunt, who debuted with a double-double (13 kills, 13 digs) in Thursday's sweep of Ohio State. “;Me and Gus were peppering before that match and getting used to the crowd. It was bigger than any I've played in front of.”;

It was in front of one of the larger crowds that Hunt was spotted by Hawaii associate head coach Tino Reyes. Hunt was playing at a club tournament hosted by Penn State; a few days later, he received an e-mail.

“;I was pretty excited,”; Hunt said. “;I figured I'd stay in Canada to play, probably in the west at British Columbia or Alberta. Then Hawaii came into the picture and how do you say no?

“;The weather was a shock at first. I had never been anywhere tropical and it can get very warm in Gym 1. But when I went back home for Christmas, going back to the cold weather was a shock.”;

The shock was also cultural. Growing up in a suburb of Toronto, “;I was not used to the diversity,”; Hunt said. “;Especially food. Here rice is with every meal and that surprised me.

“;But I've been trying different things. I really like the loco moco.”;

The acclimatization has included music, with Tuaniga—whose father grew up in Hawaii—introducing Hunt to local musical groups. There was also the introduction to Sandy Beach, where Hunt and Tuaniga kept each other company on the sand when the waves got too rough.

“;We're not surfers, so we were a little cautious,”; said Tuaniga, raised in Hemet, Calif. “;We have a lot in common.

“;What I respect most is that he really pushes himself hard, which makes me work harder. The one thing I've tried to do is help him calm down a bit, get him chillin'. He's very competitive.”;

It's the one semi-negative thing about Hunt, said Warriors coach Mike Wilton.

“;He's very hard on himself,”; Wilton said. “;When he gets that angry look on his face, it's because he's mad at Steven.

“;We've got to get him in June's (former UH football coach Jones) old mantra of 'clear and move on.' Steven's got a big upside.”;

Hunt's athletic background included baseball and hockey before he decided to concentrate on volleyball his last few years at Wilson Secondary School. The two-time player of the year helped Toronto Boys to a bronze medal at last May's Canadian Open, earning all-tournament honors.

His long-term goal is to play professionally overseas. The immediate one is simple: get better.

“;I need to work on keeping my (hitting) errors down,”; said Hunt, who hit .205 last week. “;And maybe increase the speed of my serve and keep it in.”;

And maybe something else. Told that the Warriors used to draw record-setting crowds during the Yuval Katz era of the mid-1990s, Hunt said, “;I hope someday we will again.”;