The writing was on the wall. In Matthew Cheape’s bedroom there was a hand-written sign with this promise: "My goal is to be the starting libero on the UH men’s volleyball team."

It was crafted in 2010, a year after Cheape was cut following his first Warrior practice.

For tonight’s match against UC Santa Barbara, Cheape will be introduced as the Warriors’ starting libero and team captain. After Saturday’s final home match of the regular season, Cheape will be honored as the team’s lone senior.

"Matt serves as a lesson for hard work," UH coach Charlie Wade said. "There are very few ways you can validate good behavior in our sport. You can put him in the game. You can put him on scholarship. Those are the two most powerful. The message, to not just him, is: ‘Dude, if you work hard as a walk-on, that behavior will be rewarded in the future.’ "

The Warriors have to spread the equivalent of 4.5 scholarships among their roster. This semester, Cheape is receiving almost a full ride — tuition, books and housing.

"He’s earned it in every way, shape or form," Wade said.

IT IS A JOURNEY that began when Cheape was 2 years old. His family home did not have a television set during his early childhood.

"We would listen to volleyball games on the radio in our garage," said his sister Lauren, who is 3 years older. "We would play with a volleyball together in the garage. The biggest treat would be when we would be able to go to a UH volleyball game."

While Lauren and her cousins would run around the arena, she recalled, "Matt would just be sitting there, focused, watching the whole game. He was 4 years old. From that young age, he was so focused on volleyball. We should have known back then he was going to be a great volleyball player."

Cheape grew up playing basketball and soccer. The first time he played organized volleyball was when he tried out for Mililani High’s varsity team as a freshman.

"He not only made the team, he started as a freshman," Lauren recalled. "He was only 4-foot-10. He could walk under the net. It’s been so impressive, as his sister, to watch him continue to grow. He never has a bad attitude. He’s constantly working."

Cheape maintained that approach when he worked on the family’s egg farm, Peterson & Sons.

"I pretty much did everything over there," Cheape said. "The funny thing is my dad doesn’t really care for eggs at all. I like them. I don’t like to eat them straight. I like to eat them with Spam and rice."

CHEAPE remembered his first UH volleyball practice. It also appeared it would be his last. He was among 12 players cut that day, a move he described as "devastating." The most difficult was "not having practice every day," Cheape said.

A month later, he was invited to rejoin the Warriors.

He spent the first two years practicing on the so-called third court for developing players. As a third-year sophomore in 2010, he was used as a back-row specialist for outside hitter Joshua Walker for one rotation every set.

"He did a nice job doing that," Wade said. "From a coaching standpoint, he’s a hard-worker, no drama, a good student."

The libero’s job opened when Nick Costello completed his UH eligibility last year.

Cheape always trained intensively in the weight room. Freshman Kolby Kanetake, who joined this past summer, pushed Cheape in on-court drills.

Cheape won the starting job.

"It was rough in the beginning," Cheape admitted. "Once I got through that, it got better and better. This is definitely the best place in the nation to play volleyball."

Lauren, now a state representative, said: "We went to every single game, for all his five years, waiting to see him play. He gained so much character. I wish he played his freshman year. But looking back, I think he gained more character by not playing until now than if he started the whole time."