New Year’s is 28 days away for the rest of the world. It isn’t in the one in which the Hawaii volleyball team lives.

Nor does the 2018 season for the Rainbow Wahine begin in August with double-days or even during spring with offseason workouts and exhibitions.

It began yesterday as Hawaii boarded its last flight of 2017 with baggage that exceeded the mental weight limit, laden by heavy thoughts of what could have been “if only.” The Wahine (20-8) had no “bad” losses, but what was bad about six they did have was they were all in five, including Friday’s marathon loss to Illinois in Seattle that sent Hawaii home from postseason play the earliest it had been since the NCAA tournament first round in 1997.

“Next year starts right now,” first-year head coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos said. “As I told the girls, think about what it is you have to work on now in order to get better. Is it your physical ability? Is your cardio OK so that you can last five sets? What are the skills you need to work on?

“The season doesn’t start in spring or in two-a-days. When we get to two-a-days (in August) I’m looking to set a lineup, not training to find one.”

That was the message to the 11 returning players who made the trip to Seattle and a redshirt freshman who didn’t. It’s the message that is being sent to potential recruits — Hawaii has at least three scholarships to give for 2018 after signing 6-foot-1 outside hitter Trinity Castaneda last month.

Ah Mow-Santos said she receives an estimated 150 emails a day from players interested in playing for the Wahine, including foreign nationals and transfers from the D-I and junior college ranks. Her two criteria are: buying into the system the UH staff is implementing and contributing right away.

“We’re not looking for projects,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “We want players who can contribute from the get-go. Our recruiting for 2019 and 2020 is also looking for that.

“I think we need everything for next year.”

Hawaii loses six seniors, including a possible All-America middle in Emily Maglio and libero Savanah Kahakai, who finished No. 2 on the program’s all-time digs list. Also done with their eligibility are defensive specialists Clare-Marie Anderson and Gianna Guinasso; injury-hampered hitter Kalei Greeley and setter-turned-hitter Kendra Koelsch.

(By virtue of being all-conference first-teamers, Maglio, Kahakai, junior hitter McKenna Granato and sophomore setter Norene Iosia are eligible for all-region honors that will be announced this week.)

While the season wasn’t successful by Hawaii’s high standards — no conference title, the most losses since 1997 — Ah Mow-Santos said it was in other ways.

“It was huge from the growth standpoint,” UH’s two-time All-America setter said. “It was successful in how we started establishing the culture we wanted.

“Individually, we had Casey (junior hitter Castillo) become one of our primary passers, something that was new for her. We had Kendra (Koelsch), who was either on the bench or at setter starting on the right side. That’s not normal. But that’s what we had to do to turn it around and it was the players who did that.”

It was even those who didn’t get much playing time, such as freshman middles Sky Williams and Sophia Howling. There were definite adjustments to college-level volleyball and the intense coaching style of a three-time Olympian in Ah Mow-Santos.

“I think I’m mentally stronger — you have to be having Coach Robyn,” Williams said. “It was a little scary at first, but it’s been good.”

“We’ve both grown all around,” Howling said. “You come in thinking you know something and you find out you don’t. We’ve increased our volleyball IQ so much and learned so much from Coach Angelica (assistant Ljungqvist, a four-time All-American blocker for Hawaii and the 1996 AVCA National Player of the Year).”

Ah Mow-Santos said that besides recruiting she’ll start finalizing the nonconference schedule as well as the spring exhibitions.