For those with short — but vividly painful — memories, the road to redemption is just 23.8 miles for the Hawaii men’s volleyball team. That’s the distance where some believe the Rainbow Warriors hit a dead end when it came to being awarded an at-large berth into the 2018 NCAA tournament.

Hawaii dropped three consecutive road matches in a span of four days, two conference ones at Cal State Northridge and one nonconference at Pepperdine. It led to the Warriors finishing with a 19-8 record and being done for the year, learning on their return flight to Honolulu that UC Irvine had been given the at-large berth two days after the Warriors had defeated the Anteaters in the Big West tournament semifinal.

It’s not that this Hawaii team has a death wish, but the Warriors are replicating that previous March trip to CSUN and Pepperdine with two matches against the Matadors and one with the Waves next March. The only difference? The Warriors have two days off between the second match in the San Fernando Valley and the one in Malibu.

“We didn’t learn very well,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade deadpanned when discussing the 2020 schedule released on Friday. “It’s not lost on anyone. The guys understand what happened two years ago.

“But what what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And it makes for a really challenging schedule.”

That March replication also includes Hawaii hosting Brigham Young this season. In 2018, the Warriors lost to the Cougars in the title match of the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational; this time, the former Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals are in the Stan Sheriff Center for two nonconference matches March 5-6.

The two home contests with BYU are part of a 29-match schedule that features three of the other final-four teams that were at the NCAA tournament with Hawaii last May: Lewis (away, Jan. 17), Pepperdine (away, March 17) and defending national champion Long Beach State (home, April 3-4). The Big West tournament will be hosted by UC Irvine April 23-25; the Anteaters are in the Sheriff Center for the 26th Outrigger Invitational and final two conference matches April 17-18.

Hawaii (28-3, 8-2 Big West in 2019) opens the season with a pair of matches against Charleston on Jan. 3 and 4. The Golden Eagles are in their sixth year at Division I-II and fifth in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

Nittaidai of Japan returns to the Sheriff Center for the first time since 2012 for two exhibitions Feb. 26 and 28. The annual alumni match is Jan. 24.

With growing emphasis on road matches for at-large consideration, Hawaii has an ambitious out-of-conference schedule playing four matches in five days in two states. The Warriors are in Illinois against Loyola (Jan. 17) and Lewis (Jan. 18) and in Tennessee against King (Jan. 20) and Lincoln Memorial (Jan. 21).

The Warriors also are at Stanford for two matches, part of what is becoming a home-and-home series, according to Wade. Stanford was in Honolulu for two last year.

Hawaii, which finished second to Long Beach State last season, Stanford and BYU will likely be in the Top 5 when the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15 comes out on Dec. 5. The Warriors have matches with 10 of the teams ranked in last season’s final poll, which included all Big West squads except for UC San Diego.

“I think we have a nice mix of good nonconference opponents and we’re going on the road for some tough matches at Lewis, Loyola and Stanford,” Wade said.

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HAWAII MEN’S VOLLEYBALL 2020 SCHEDULE

All home matches, Stan Sheriff Center, 7 p.m. unless noted

All times Hawaii

x-denotes Big West Conference match

y-denotes exhibition

JANUARY

3-4: Charleston

Rainbow Warrior Classic

9: Harvard vs. Grand Canyon, 4 p.m.; Emmanuel at Hawaii

10: Grand Canyon vs. Emmanuel, 4 p.m.; Harvard at Hawaii

11: Harvard vs. Emmanuel, 4 p.m.; Grand Canyon at Hawaii

17: at Loyola, Chicago, 3 p.m.

18: at Lewis, Romeoville, Ill., 3 p.m.

20: at King, Bristol, Tenn., 2 p.m.

21: at Lincoln Memorial, Harrogate, Tenn., 2 p.m.

24: y-Alumni

FEBRUARY

26th Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational

6: UC Irvine vs. Concordia, 4 p.m.; Queens at Hawaii

7: UC Irvine vs. Queens, 4 p.m.; Concordia at Hawaii

8: Queens vs. Concordia, 4 p.m.; UC Irvine at Hawaii

14-15: at Stanford, 5 p.m.

26 & 28: y-Nittaidai (Japan)

MARCH

5-6: Brigham Young

13-14: x-at Cal State Northridge, 4 p.m.

17: at Pepperdine, 3 p.m.

27-18: x-UC San Diego

APRIL

3-4: x-Long Beach State

10-11: x-at UC Santa Barbara, 4 p.m.

17-18: UC Irvine

23-25: Big West Tournament, Irvine, Calif., TBA

MAY

NCAA championship tournament

At George Mason, Fairfax, Va.

5: Opening rounds, TBA

7: Semfinais, TBA

9: Final, TBA