A college coach walked into a Punahou volleyball match a few years ago and offered an enlightening admission.

"We all come to Punahou’s matches and say we’re here to watch this junior or that senior," she said. "But really, we’re all here to watch her."

The coach pointed at Tai Manu-Olevao, then just a volleyball child, an underclassman who had yet to win a state championship, only played front row and had no real perception of the possibilities of her exceptional athleticism.

She knew one thing for sure, however. As a seventh-grader, Manu-Olevao saw the Rainbow Wahine play on TV.

"And I just knew I had to be here," Manu-Olevao recalled. "There were these strong individuals, volleyball players and athletes that did wonderful things on the court and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to push myself to be like Robyn Ah Mow and Kim Willoughby. They were crazy."

Fast forward to the beginning of this month. The 6-foot Manu-Olevao, a force in practice but seemingly serene in the acceptance of red-shirting her first year at Hawaii, is approached by coach Dave Shoji. It is eight weeks into the season and Jane Croson has been suspended for breaking team rules. He wants to activate Manu-Olevao and take her on the next trip. Today.

"The coaching staff has wanted her activated from Day 1," Shoji said. "I was holding out, but with Jane out we had to go with her. And there’s no reason to have her as a reserve. She’s earned some playing time, so we thought why not throw her in. She has played like we know she can play."

She came home from that first trip with three kills and a zero hitting percentage in two forgettable part-time performances.

"I remember everything about it, remember just shaking," Manu-Olevao said. "I was so nervous. In my head I was telling myself, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up’ and it showed in my play."

But Shoji and his staff were adamant. They started her Friday against Cal State Northridge. She got one kill in the first set.

In the space of the next 10 serves, before a comforting home crowd, Manu-Olevao gave a spectacular glimpse at what is possible. She buried four straight swings with the Matadors wondering what hit them. She would finish with 11 kills, second to Emily Hartong.

"I felt like I wasn’t contributing enough," Manu-Olevao shrugged. "I wanted to help out instead of just being quiet and taking up space out there."

Potential had suddenly transformed itself into reality. No matter what happens tonight against UC Davis or Saturday while hosting Pacific — or beyond — Hawaii now knows what is possible.

"She’s got a live arm and she can block," Shoji said. "She is just an athlete out there. Obviously, the more athletes you have out there the better chance you have. She’s smooth, a fast-twitch kind of player. She doesn’t have Hartong’s arm, but her athleticism is such that she’s attacking from a high position so she gets away with some stuff a lot of players can’t."

Shoji became aware of Manu-Olevao when she started at Punahou. He got "really, really" serious when her high school coaches, and club coach Luis Ramirez, bolstered her ballhandling and told him she wanted to stay home. Now he sees her as a "shut-down right-side blocker" capable of a couple kills a set, at least — for now.

"Tai wasn’t the polished high school All-American," Shoji said. "She’s worked very hard to be a good volleyball player. Back in ninth or 10th grade she wasn’t skilled. She was an athlete, but she was not skilled."

Now, with Croson apparently coming back from suspension, Manu-Olevao knows her skill set must multiply so she can stay on the floor. She wants to make up for the half-season she missed.

Her collegiate challenges began with the switch to 6 a.m. practices and "24/7 volleyball." She has moved past the "redshirt mindset" and started to realize she belongs. It is time for "the athlete" to acquire more skills.

"I want to play better than Friday," Manu-Olevao said. "Focus on playing, not getting frustrated, just playing my game. If I think about what everybody else wants for me I won’t do good. I just need to think about the team."

That has been the best part all along.

"Getting to play with these phenomenal athletes like Emily and Jane, that’s been fun for me," the freshman said. "And feeling like I can play at that level."