The players walked down the dark tunnel and into the brightly lit realm of possibility. It was as if the Santa Monica High boys volleyball team had stumbled upon Pandora instead of the unoccupied Taraflex court in the center of the Stan Sheriff Center.

“;Wow”; was the collective response from the California visitors taking a tour of Hawaii's athletic facilities earlier this week.

Several reached down to touch the faux wood. Another went for an imaginary dig, diving onto the cushioned surface, hoping that no one had noticed.

Ric Cervantes did. The Warriors' senior libero completely related to the awe created by arguably the best college volleyball environment in the country.

The Hawaii team captain has felt it every time he has walked into the arena, whether it be for a practice or a match, for four years.

It's one of the things that kept him from transferring in his darkest days of discouragement two years ago, a time where he mastered his frustration by mastering the “;Guitar Hero”; video game in the locker room.

“;It's really hard to explain what it's like to play here, the support you get, regardless of how the team is doing,”; said Cervantes, one of the tour guides for Santa Monica. “;You'll never get this anywhere else.

“;I tried to explain it to them (the high schoolers) what it's like, what you have to do to be playing at the top level. They were shocked by how many people come to watch us. They loved the sport court, and were impressed by all the little things that make the Stan Sheriff what it is: the best place there is to play volleyball.”;

Cervantes has become the best when it comes to digs in the Hawaii record book. The senior captain already held the program's single-season marks for digs (342) and dig average (3.32 dps), both set as a sophomore in 2008. He passed idol and mentor Alfie Reft (815) as the all-time career dig leader during the March 6 sweep at Cal State Northridge, and looks to add to his 880 total tomorrow night against UC San Diego.

“;Alfie was a big reason I came here,”; Cervantes said of his fellow Santa Barbara, Calif., native and current U.S. national team member. “;He told the coaches to recruit me. He's coached me from afar and it's very humbling to have that kind of relationship with the best libero in UH history.

“;He's proud of me and that means a lot. I did rub it in his face about breaking his record. It's something to hold over him and, hopefully, I'll be able to hold over something he didn't do. A national championship.”;

After missing the conference playoffs the past two seasons, Hawaii is poised to earn a berth. The Warriors also have a realistic shot at hosting in the first round, something they haven't done since 2006, Cervantes' senior year at Santa Barbara High.

It's been a season for redemption for Hawaii, as well as for Cervantes. After his sophomore year, when he set two school records, Cervantes felt unappreciated by the former coaching staff and asked for his release.

“;I didn't want to play here anymore,”; he said. “;But my teammates were the ones who kept me here and now we're having the season I thought we would have my whole time here.”;

His final season began with a change in the entire coaching staff. Cervantes said it took about a month into the fall semester until his apprehension over Charlie Wade taking over—“;He was a girls coach coming to coach guys,”; Cervantes said—was squashed.

In return, Wade found a captain.

“;Early on he emerged as a leader,”; Wade said. “;He's done a really good job of being the conduit from the coaching staff to the team.

“;I don't think it's uncommon for a libero to be your captain. He's on the floor the entire time. No question he understands the game, sees the tendencies of the other teams and individuals.”;

His fellow Warriors have no problem with it.

“;He's been a great teammate the last four years and a great captain this year,”; senior Steven Grgas said. “;I've seen a lot of growth in his game and in him as a person.

“;He earned being our captain.”;

Cervantes jokes about his “;magic fingers”; that made him the Guitar Hero king. Quite a feat, since he's never played a musical instrument.

It's been his magic hands, however, that have carried the Hawaii defense, with highlight-reel digs and crowd-pleasing hustle.

“;Volleyball is the ultimate team sport,”; he said. “;You rely so much on your teammates every single play. I'm not looking for individual glory, I'm looking for team wins.

“;This season has gone really quickly and I'm going to do everything I can to help my team win and have this last as long as possible.”;