HONOLULU — Multi-name status was earned through time and the grind for Kate Lang.

At a recent group interview at a Hawaii women's volleyball fall practice, coach Robyn Ah Mow referred to her starting setter alternatingly as Kate, Katherine and Katrina, perhaps as a subconscious tell of their hard-won bond.

“Kate’s Kate. Katherine’s always up in my office. ‘Hi, Coach Rob.’ Having our little meetings,” Ah Mow said.

The former Rainbow Wahine and Olympic setter is well known for her blunt demeanor, and has never held back with feedback and criticism, especially for those playing her old position.

“You know, it’s been a little roller coaster, but that’s why I can call her sometimes Katherine,” Ah Mow said with a chuckle.

It is the fifth year in the program for Lang, who arrived amid COVID lockdowns in 2020. Now that All-America middle Amber Igiede has moved on to the professional ranks, it is unquestionably the Texan’s team in 2024.

Besides her, it is a mostly untested group, with five newcomers and some young returnees expected to move out of the shadows of departed players like Igiede, Riley Wagoner, Kendra Ham, Kennedi Evans, Talia Edmonds and Paula Guersching.

Expectations remain high for the Rainbow Wahine, as Wednesday’s Big West preseason coaches poll underscored. Despite the player attrition from last year’s 24-9 squad that reached a 30^th straight NCAA Tournament, UH was picked to finish second of 11 teams, behind only Cal Poly, and received three first-place votes.

Lang and junior hitter Caylen Alexander were named to the seven-player Big West preseason all-conference team.

“I don’t want to play scared or anything. That’s not our identity here at UH,” Lang said on the first day of practice. “I hope that the legacy that the seniors left behind … I hope that it bleeds into our team this year.”

UH opens at home against Southern Methodist in the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic on Aug. 30.

More than once, Lang, a two-time Big West first-teamer, called it a “privilege” to still be competing in Manoa. Though she could’ve walked with the other seniors last fall, Lang said it was a no-brainer to redeem her COVID year.

“I wasn’t supposed to be on the 2024 team and I have the privilege of (coming back),” she said. “I’m thankful for every opportunity I get to represent UH.”

It does not hurt that, like 2022, UH is taking a visit to her home state. It faces two-time defending national champion Texas and Baylor on Sept. 20 and 21.

Lang wore a grin during a series of hand-eye drills as double-day practices commenced in UH’s auxiliary Gym 1. Others felt their way around. Beyond Lang, Alexander and senior libero Tayli Ikenaga, there are quite a few question marks for a roster of just 13 players.

“This year I gotta put on a little more of a patience hat,” Ah Mow said.

She hopes that hitters Stella Adeyemi and Tali Hakas will make a leap. Hakas is expected to return from a national team obligation for Israel a few days before the opener.

As for the middle, there is a huge void in the space once occupied by an all-time program great in Igiede – both physically and philosophically.

“Oh, I miss Amber,” Ikenaga said. “She’s such a big personality and so kind-hearted. Her legacy carries on through us. We always tell them the stories of Amber.”

Miliana Sylvester, a 6-1 middle out of University Lab School, has already received the moniker of “Amber 2.0” for her comparable, raw-but-effective skill set as Igiede’s upon her arrival in 2019. Other middles are sophomore Jacyn Bamis, middle Morghn Monahan (HPU transfer) and freshman Maddie Way (Santa Clarita, Calif.).

“We got a lot of new players in, we lost a lot of good players,” she said. “The challenge is coaching these girls up and getting them where they need to be come Aug. 30.”

Big West women's volleyball 2024 preseason coaches poll (first-place votes in parentheses)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.