While diving across the floor in the Kalani High School gym over and over again, Tama Miyashiro couldn’t envision just how far volleyball would carry the Falcon standout.

But the elements that would fuel her ascent to the sport’s highest levels were already in place.

Growing up in a volleyball-centric household, Miyashiro’s All-State skill set included a deft touch on the first contact — whether in serve reception or on defense — while she could also power the Falcons’ attack as a setter or hitter.

The confluence of her technical abilities and a drive toward constant improvement would flow into an All-America college career as a libero at Washington and eventually to a spot on the United States national team.

“I think I knew what the national team was, but I just really liked playing the sport at that age,” Miyashiro said of her prep career. “All I was trying to do was win, because I was competitive, and try to get better.

“But I had no idea where I’d end up. I just took it step by step and the thing that’s kept me going is just that I want to get better and I like challenge.”

A member of the silver-medal winning 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Miyashiro’s pursuit of a trip to Rio in 2016 was hampered by a knee injury and subsequent surgery. It was then that she decided to channel her work ethic into a transition to coaching.

Some four years later, she was on the bench in Tokyo celebrating the national program’s first Olympic gold. Her progression continued on Dec. 3 when she was announced as a full-time member of the U.S. coaching staff after serving as a seasonal assistant since 2017.

“It is very cool to work at this level with this level of athlete and be around the sport that you love all day and call it your job. That is amazing, for sure,” Miyashiro said in a phone interview. “I feel like I’ve been super lucky and spoiled that the only two things I’ve done after college volleyball was play and coach.

“For sure it’s a pretty cool feeling and it’s nice to get up and go to the gym. … In a sense it is a dream.”

As part of her duties, Miyashiro spent part of last week in Louisville watching the NCAA Tournament regional hosted by the top-seeded Cardinals. She’ll continue on to Columbus, Ohio, for the national semifinals on Thursday and the championship match on Saturday.

Miyashiro plans to be at Nationwide Arena when two Kamehameha graduates — Pittsburgh setter Lexis Akeo and Nebraska defensive specialist/libero Keonilei Akana — continue their pursuits of a dream finish to the season in the second semifinal match. Akeo contributed 23 assists in the Panthers’ win over Purdue last Saturday to help Pittsburgh reach its first final four. Akana fired seven aces to help the Cornhuskers upset No. 2 Texas in Austin.

Miyashiro’s college career continues to be celebrated at Washington, where she is prominently featured in the volleyball display in the Huskies Hall of Fame in Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

A member of the HHSAA Hall of Honor’s 2005 class, Miyashiro was a two-time National Defensive Player of the Year and remains Washington’s career digs leader with 2,382 (5.33 per set, also a school record).

Passing and defense also defined her role as a player in the national program and she’s demonstrated her acumen in teaching those critical aspects of the game.

In the release announcing Miyashiro’s full-time role on the staff, U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly noted “It is not a coincidence that our passing performance was off the charts in Tokyo.”

As the players celebrated the long-awaited gold, Miyashiro found added satisfaction when she reflected on the team’s progress in the practice gym and times when the operation wasn’t as smooth.

“Passing is such a mental thing and for them to stick it out and have that trust with each other, I think that was the coolest part from my standpoint,” she said. “Yeah, we were really good technically but to be on the same page and to have that much trust in a skill that’s that important, that’s really cool.”

Miyashiro’s career-long emphasis on ball control remains rooted in her upbringing in local volleyball and an appreciation for “the quality of the first touch and how much pride we take in that growing up and hours and hours of reps,” she said.

”Growing up, we just didn’t have the size so the whole deal was to have great ball control and kind of wear teams down.”

Along with back-row play that created opportunities for the U.S. attack, the team’s overall chemistry was also among the chief takeaways coming out of the Tokyo Games.

“I think the culture of our team was very evident and very noticeable when people would watch us play,” she said. “That was one of the goals, to out-team everybody. The girls were able to really believe that and live that out.”

Now based in Anaheim, Calif., Miyashiro returned to Hawaii for a couple of weeks of vacation following the Games, but the cycle soon picked up again with a shortened timetable between Olympic games. The program is already looking ahead to next year’s FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship and Miyashiro’s promotion opened the way for added island influence with the national team.

Miyashiro’s place as a seasonal assistant was filled by former University of Hawaii men’s volleyball standout Alfred Reft.

“I’ve known Alfee for a long time,” Miyashiro said. “He’s a great coach and I think he’s going to be great for our program and our girls and our staff loves him already, super exciting.”