The University of Hawai'i plays British Columbia tonight in an exhibition that is more of a pop quiz than a volleyball test.

After a three-week break, the Warriors reconvened Monday for two days — or six hours — of training camp.

"We scraped a little more rust off," UH coach Mike Wilton said between yesterday's two-hour practice and one-hour video session.

For the first of two exhibitions — the rematch is Friday — Wilton selected this lineup: setter Brian Beckwith; opposite attacker Lauri Hakala; middle blockers Dio Dante and Kyle Klinger; left-side hitters Jacob Schkud and Eric Kalima; and libero Ric Cervantes.

Beckwith, Hakala and Dante were starters all of last season. Klinger, Kalima and Schkud have been spot starters. Cervantes, a freshman, succeeds All-America libero Alfee Reft, who is training with the U.S. national team.

Of the three liberos on the roster, Cervantes is the only one who completed the fall-training program. He also was the setter in the two matches — a loss and a victory — against British Columbia during an October tournament in Canada.

"It was a close race, but (Cervantes) was with us all fall," Wilton said.

Mike China, who played at Lewis in 2005, is the second libero on the 14-player active list. Justin Ching will not suit up tonight. Cory Enriques is not playing this season because of an injury.

Dante, who missed the final two months of fall training because of a dislocated right thumb, did not experience any problems during extended blocking sessions Monday and yesterday. There were concerns about Dante's babying his thumb, but Wilton said, "I think he's done with that."

Wilton said Klinger earned the start because of consistently strong play.

"He improved his game a lot," Wilton said. "His all-around game has gotten better. He's better in just everything."

Klinger, who joined UH in 2005 after serving in the Air Force, has had uneven performances during the previous two seasons. He missed a month last season after suffering a broken toe.

But now Klinger is a skilled read blocker who is rarely out of position.

"Maybe he had an 'aha' moment," Wilton said.

Matt "Dragon" Rawson will be the top backup middle blocker.

Wilton said he expects Klinger and Schkud to have breakout seasons. They are following the pattern of past UH starters, such as Johnny Matt Bender and Matt Carere, who were late bloomers nurtured by daily practices and an intense offseason workout program.

"It's very good for the team," Hakala said. "You enter the program, you develop, and toward your junior or senior year, you're playing a lot or starting."

Hakala and Kalima were voted as team captains, although Hakala will have more on-court responsibilities. The rules allow only one player — the floor captain — to talk to the referees during matches. Hakala will serve that role.

Still, Hakala said, "It's not on my shoulders or Kalima's shoulders. There will be seven guys with responsibilities. If you have to label someone (as captain), fine, label somebody. But everybody on the court has a role, too, especially Brian (Beckwith). He's touching the ball on every rally."

Kalima said: "We're all out there busting our 'okole. We're all working toward the same goal."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.