If Steven Hunt could be in two places at once tomorrow, it would be Vancouver for the Olympic Games and the Stan Sheriff Center for an exhibition volleyball match against Alberta.

Either way, “;O Canada”; is playing in Hunt's head and heart.

“;I wish I could be in Vancouver, it's my favorite city,”; Hunt, a Warriors sophomore hitter, said. “;But it's sweet that the Olympics are there. It's cool to have it in my home country.

“;And I know no one else on my team is as excited about playing Alberta like I am, but I'm sure they'll get pretty amped once game time happens.”;

Had things worked out differently for the Toronto native, he'd be in the lineup for the Golden Bears instead of the Warriors tomorrow and Saturday. The 6-foot-5 Hunt was recruited by Alberta — which did land his clubmate, libero Erik Mattson — but Hunt opted for a warmer climate and the U.S. collegiate experience.

It was a chance to grow in the sport as well as grow up five time zones away from home. Hunt has done both, as evidenced by a maturity in both his game and his demeanor.

Last season, his emotions often matched the color of his hair — red — and it got the better of him when he slammed a chair in frustration during a match at Long Beach State, fracturing his hitting hand and sidelining one of UH's kill leaders for 10 matches.

“;I feel that I'm able to control my emotions better now, can make the smart choices,”; Hunt said. “;And my game ... I'm focusing on my passing, working on my defense. A really nice pass is something I can be proud of, getting our other offensive players the opportunity to hit.”;

Hunt has slowly worked himself back into a starting role and is third in kill average (2.56) after five consecutive starts. He had a season-high 15 kills in last Thursday's loss to UCLA, followed by 12 in the second loss to the Bruins.

“;Those are a couple of tough games, I thought we could take both,”; Hunt said. “;It was kind of a downer that it ended up the opposite.

“;We've been working really hard since then. I think we're more of a 'team' this year. The plan is to get a little better every day.”;

Gus Tuaniga, who was replaced in the lineup by Hunt, has seen that in the player he calls his best friend on and off the court.

“;He has changed, has a better attitude in practice,”; Tuaniga said. “;If one of us gets the start, the other is supporting him. We're there for the team.”;

“;I think everybody realized that some changes needed to be made, they needed to be made largely on his part,”; Warriors coach Charlie Wade said of Hunt. “;He's been working on it, handling the frustrations that come along with athletic competition.

“;He gives us a different look matchup-wise, he's 6-5, athletic, jumps pretty well, has a nice arm. He still has a few skills to modify, but he's doing a nice job scoring for us.”;

Hunt's athleticism was honed on the ice as a hockey player, the baseball diamond as a pitcher and on the volleyball court.

“;I liked volleyball more,”; he said. “;Who knows where hockey would have taken me? Volleyball brought me to Hawaii.”;