Finn Kearney is completely bought in on the position change from opposite, where he started for gold-medal winning United States U19 teams in the Pan American Cup over back-to-back summers, to outside hitter.

There’s only one minor drawback.

“The hardest part would be passing,” Kearney said with a chuckle.

Saying the obvious part out loud, the 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter has taken to his new position just fine for the fourth-ranked Rainbow Warrior volleyball team, which hosts No. 19 Princeton for matches tonight and Friday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

Kearney, who along with setter Tread Rosenthal played on the United States U21 team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship last summer, brings an impressive national team resume to a Rainbow Warriors squad that is already littered with players with international playing experience.

Freshman Kristian Titriyski, who has started the first four matches for UH at outside, was named the best scorer at the U19 FIVB World Championship in which he played against Rosenthal and Kearney on the U.S. team that finished fourth.

Feeling a little undersized at the professional level anyway on the right side, Kearney was ready to follow Hawaii coach Charlie Wade’s desire to switch positions even before he committed to UH.

“It was later in my senior year when it came up and it sounded like a good idea for a lot of reasons,” Kearney said. “The main one being undersized at opposite and easier at the pro level to be my size and play outside to just make everything better. I have a lot of trust in our coaches knowing they could get me to the point where I need to be.”

This freshman class has the potential to be the best in Wade’s tenure. In addition to Kearney and Titriyski, there is Adrien Roure, who won the U19 FIVB World Championship with the French team posting 11 kills and four blocks in the title match against Iran; middle blocker Ofeck Hazan, who is a member of the Israeli Senior National Team, and Kainoa Wade, who enrolled early after winning high school state Player of the Year awards back-to-back as a sophomore and junior at Kamehameha.

All of that talent is another reason Wade has the ability to change positions of an incoming player who was named the best opposite hitter and server at the Pan American Cup in 2022.

“My assessment of him early on is that he’s built like a high-level international outside hitter,” Wade said. “High-level international opposites are big and hit the high ball well. Finn is a really nice athlete. He lowers his center of gravity. He’s going to be a very good receiver and actually as I’ve watched him, where he contacts the ball at left front is always higher. He goes up and gets it really well. He’s going to have an amazing career with us.”

Kearney has yet to start a match but has played in 13 of UH’s 15 sets and has 12 kills on 22 swings with two errors for a .455 hitting percentage.

He’s served out only four times in 36 serves with two aces, including four must-have serves in Friday’s five-set win over Harvard in the fifth set to lead UH back from a 14-11 deficit to win 16-14.

“I’m just really excited to see how we keep moving forward, because we’re a young group, we’re a new group, and we’re already doing really exciting things,” Kearney said. “Later in the year I think there is a lot of potential in doing big things.”

Kearney holds an advantage over the incoming players hitting from Rosenthal for the first time. The two have played together for the national team each of the past three summers.

Rosenthal enrolled early to begin his UH career last year or else the Big West Freshman of the Year would be a part of this recruiting class as well.

“I always kind of wanted to go here. This looked like the place to be when I saw matches played here beginning my sophomore year,” Kearney said. “I was pretty close with Tread and we had been taking about it and I think we made the move a little bit together, but overall it was just the culture of fans and the best volleyball school you could get out of any option.”

Rosenthal, who two weeks into the season ranks third in the country with 11.60 assists per set, says he’s comfortable setting Kearney on any side, as long as he’s on his side of the net.

“Off the rip he immediately started going to work and he loves it. He’s here for it and he’s ready to work as hard as he needs to,” Rosenthal said. “It’s kind of crazy to see the guy who has dominated countries come in here and start as the third guy (outside). It’s crazy. It’s really exciting having him here.”

RAINBOW WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL

At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

No. 4 Hawaii (4-0) vs. No. 19 Princeton (0-1)

>> When: Tonight and Friday, 7 p.m.

>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Tonight only)

>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM / 92.7-FM