Trademark Hawaiian-style defense on the volleyball court, potlucks — including takeout from L&L — after the matches.

For the past few seasons, the players with isle ties at Hope International have tried to share their love of the sport and of the islands with their teammates as best they could. But nothing literally brought all of that home better than when the Royals lined up against the University of Hawaii two weeks ago at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The dream of playing “;at home”; became a reality with the playing of “;Hawaii Pono'i.”; There was no shame in admitting to the tears that came along with singing the words.

“;It was really emotional,”; said sophomore hitter Kaimi Guerreiro (Kalaheo '01), Hope's kill leader. “;I had to gather myself. The last time I played in here was the state tournament (a semifinal loss to Punahou in 2000). I never thought it would happen again.

“;To be back playing at home, playing at my age, is such a great opportunity. That's the great thing about the NAIA. It gives you an option if you want to go back to school later.”;

As opposed to the NCAA, there is no age restriction at the NAIA level, nor an eligibility time clock. Hope coach Victor Jennings-Santiago, a Waipahu and UH graduate, has taken advantage of that, as well as his island connections.

There are five Hawaii prep products on the roster for the Royals (6-8): Guerreiro, his younger brother Mana (Kalaheo '06), a junior outside hitter; senior libero Noah Casaquit (Moanalua '00); sophomore defensive specialist Henry Valiente (Farrington '02); and freshman defensive specialist Kahale Morgan (Kamehameha '09). Casaquit is a two-time NAIA All-American, the first for the program, and twice named the NAIA libero of the year.

Among Jennings-Santiago's assistants are his cousin and former Hope player Poyer Poia (Farrington '99), and John Ing, who splits his time as the Mililani boys volleyball coach.

Jennings-Santiago started out as an assistant at Hope in 2007 and took over the top spot a year later when the head coach left. In three short years, he has the Royals in the national spotlight.

Hope advanced to the national championship tournament last season, a first for any athletic team from the small Christian school of 1,700 in Fullerton, Calif. Jennings-Santiago was named NAIA coach of the year after a 16-10 campaign.

“;I wanted to be in a location where kids from Hawaii have an opportunity to play,”; said Jennings-Santiago, a former Radford High and Sideout Volleyball Club coach. “;It's hard for these kids, they're not 6-foot-5. No one recruits liberos and defensive specialists in the NCAA. They get them as walk-ons, they're a dime a dozen.

“;Or they're not ready for college. If they clean up their act after a few years, they're too old for the NCAA. At the NAIA level, they have the chance.”;

The chance to play against the Warriors was a happy coincidence. Jennings-Santiago had contacted then-UH assistant Mason Kuo, a former clubmate at Kamalii, about a match.

“;I told him I had Noah, a senior, and four kids, including the Guerreiro brothers, who have such a big family volleyball legacy in Hawaii,”; Jennings-Santiago said of the Guerreiros, the grandsons of two-time Olympic volleyball player Pete Velasco. “;We lucked out. UH had a bye week and our administration was very supportive. I thought our local boys were going to cry when we first told them.

“;My athletic director made the trip and he asked me about us singing 'Hawaii Pono'i.' I told him that the good thing is, no matter how long you've been gone, that song is in your heart. It always brings you back home.”;

Jennings-Santiago expects the Royals to have a strong Hawaii connection for years to come.

“;Before we came, I had about four e-mails from local players,”; he said. “;After we played (the first night), whoa, I had a bunch more. It's great that we can be that opportunity. That, yes, we give them hope at Hope.”;