In past volleyball seasons, Hawaii coach Charlie Wade’s mood could be measured in emptied energy-drink cans.

This season, Wade is fueled by the Rainbow Warriors’ best start in his six-year tenure.

If the Warriors defeat Pepperdine in Sunday afternoon’s rematch, they will move into a first-place tie in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Warriors are 14-3 overall and 11-2 in the MPSF.

"It’s certainly more fun," Wade said. "Everything is so much more enjoyable because of the amount of time and effort we put into it. And it’s just not me. The players are having fun."

In Friday’s four-set victory over Pepperdine, Wade made several key moves. He called for a switch in which middle blocker Zach Radner replaced outside hitter Siki Zarkovic in the front row. On the next play, Radner, playing at the left pin, and middle Davis Holt teamed on a block.

In the middle of the second set, he pulled outside hitter Kupono Fey, a primary passer.

"For me, that was a quick hook, and I’m not usually a quick-hook guy," Wade said.

Scott Hartley, who usually plays the attacking outside position, replaced Fey in the ball-control spot. When Hartley started scoring, he received more sets from Jennings Franciskovic. Hartley had 10 kills in the fourth set, finishing with 14.

"You can’t really question any of Coach’s decisions," backup setter Alex Jones said. "He looks like a genius out there."

Wade mused: "It’s only genius when they work. When you make a move and it doesn’t work, it’s not so genius."

The Warriors appear content in their roles. After being replaced, Fey said, he cheered for Hartley.

"We’re doing a lot of winning now," Jones said. "Winning solves any problem."

Zarkovic said competitive practices have translated to matches. But practices are not as competitive as the brain-storming sessions between Wade and assistant coach Milan Zarkovic.

"We laugh sometimes about the process we go through to write practices," Wade said. "Things aren’t thrown, but there can be some yelling. Everyone is really passionate about what we want to do and how we want to get there. We all want to get to the same point. But how we do it and what we want to focus on, sometimes that isn’t easy. It’s not uncommon to spend more time preparing practice than actually having the practice."