Ashley Kastl’s senior year with Rainbow Wahine volleyball will be filled with discovery. Is she the same player who averaged four kills in the country’s best conference two years ago at Arizona State, or is she the hitter who got into her own head last season at Hawaii? Can she fulfill her dynamic potential and fill the huge puka left on the outside when Jane Croson transferred to Arizona?

What the Wahine know for sure is that Kastl might be the best player/recruiter in their history.

Kastl, who plans to graduate with a degree in "Communicology" (the science of human communication) next spring, ponders what Croson can expect transitioning from Hawaii’s huge crowds to the cozy gatherings in Arizona — Kastl’s home state — and rolls her eyes.

"Whenever my coaches from my summer club team ask me how I like Hawaii, I’m like, ‘You don’t understand,’" Kastl said. "It’s easily the best decision I ever made, the coolest place. Honestly, if any girl talks to me about Hawaii, I’m like, ‘If you ever get an offer to play at UH it’s the best volleyball experience you will ever get in your life.’"

This from a woman who could not secure a starting position last year, or hit .200, and struggled again Sunday against San Diego’s remarkable defense. No one felt worse about it than Kastl.

"I heard her frustration off the court, but I knew how hard she tried (last year)," teammate and roommate Sarah Mendoza recalled. "She wanted extra reps and wanted to make the best out of every rep she got. She never got down on herself and said I’m done. She kept pushing through, working harder."

UH coach Dave Shoji "never saw the player" last year that put up those big numbers at ASU. He saw the effort though and, like everyone else, pleaded with Kastl "not to force things." He saw progress in the spring, indoors and on sand, and again this preseason.

"First of all, she is a very hard worker," Shoji said. "She wants to contribute in the worst way. Sometimes it hurts her because she’s trying ultra hard. If she can relax a little more and play her game and let things happen we’ll see some good things.

"Sometimes she tries to force the issue and hit harder than she really can. She’s always trying for something special. She’s much improved. When she’s given a chance, she will prove she’s a better player this year."

The coaches have worked with Kastl constantly on technique. She is a dependable passer, defender and blocker. Now they are looking for consistent offense, and at least 50 more points on her hitting percentage.

"It doesn’t have to be spectacular," Shoji emphasized. "We have other options. She doesn’t need to be our No. 1 option. She might be No. 3 and that’s OK. She’s just got to be there for us."

Kastl wants to, and has ever since she made the decision late in the spring semester of 2012 to leave ASU.

"When I asked for my release I was scared," she admitted. "I didn’t know what would happen. I knew I was not happy there so I was praying a lot about it. I gave it all to God, said I don’t know what is going to happen, what you have planned, but I have the utmost faith in you and your plan for me."

Her club coach called the night she got her release and told her Hawaii had been in touch. There were a "lot of calls" that next day, many offering scholarships, which was one of Kastl’s major worries. She chose the Wahine and fit in with her teammates and coaches immediately. But on the court, it never quite clicked.

"I learned last year that the only way to get better is to feel uncomfortable," she said. "At first I didn’t feel comfortable at my position. At Arizona State I knew my role. I knew I needed to be a leader. I came here and everyone is good, I didn’t know my role. I’m new to the program. I had no idea what to expect. I was completely and utterly uncomfortable and in a sense, at first, I wasn’t OK with that. I didn’t know how to react.

"Now I’ve been in the program one year and I feel comfortable. I know what I need to do, what needs to be done, what Dave is asking of me. I’m OK with everything. I’m OK now, too, with being uncomfortable. If it’s a new position and I need to change something I’m comfortable because I know I’m getting better. And after all I’ve been through, I know I can overcome it as long as I stick with it."

She has had lots of help with that. UH assistant Robyn Ah Mow-Santos keeps reminding Kastl to "take a deep breath" when she becomes "her own worst enemy."

Her parents have been her rock. She and brother Cameron text nearly every day. He walked onto the ASU football team, in the midst of a 19-unit semester and volunteering at a hospital, and ultimately earned a scholarship as the team’s long snapper.

Now he is in dental school at Washington and has his life planned out. His sister …not so much.

Kastl is not sure what is next after school and volleyball. Maybe play overseas or pursue a master’s in sports marketing, with some coaching on the side. She calls weightlifting "my go-to therapy" and might look into working in strength and conditioning in the future.

"I’m keeping my options open," she said. "Whatever I do, I know I’ll give 110 percent and put my heart into it just as I have with volleyball."

Until then, she’s taking the advice of teammate Ali Longo to "make every day your masterpiece."

"That’s how I’m looking at it," Kastl said. "I want to make every day count. I want to get an experience out of each day. I want to have fun, smile, laugh. I want to enjoy the people I’m around. It’s going to go fast. … It’s hard to find this and it’s just fun."