In preparation for tonight's Outrigger Invitational match, Hawai'i volleyball coach Mike Wilton opted not to study videotapes of Loyal-Chicago.

"Why bother?" Wilton said. "They have almost a whole new team."

Loyola coach Shane Davis returned the blank stare.

"They're a lot different from last year, as well," Davis said. "It's going to be a learn-as-you-go type of match."

The featured opening-round match of the two-night tournament is indeed a blind date.

Loyola's lineup has only two 2006 starters — setter Brian Guntli, a senior captain, and All-America middle blocker James Grunst.

UH has three returning starters, but one of them, All-American Lauri Hakala, has moved from opposite attacker to left-side hitter.

Loyola has had to overcome injuries. UH has endured illnesses.

The Ramblers' top left-side hitters, Joe Guntli and Nathan Gustus, are not available. Guntli has not played since suffering a back injury during fall training. He is expected to seek a medical hardship.

Gustus has a shoulder tear. "He's getting to the point where he can work through the pain," Davis said.

Those circumstances forced the Ramblers to start 6-foot freshmen George Kamberos and Krisjanis Berzins on the left side. Zach Bailey, the 6-foot-2 libero, is taller than those two.

"As far as playing experience overall, we're definitely a young team," Davis said. "Our lack of experience shows, and it's something we're trying to get over. We're still looking for that one lineup. It's so early in the season, it's hard to tell what the team is going to do."

That has limited the way the Warriors prepare.

"We'd like to have more information, but we don't," Wilton said. "We can't worry about it, can't fret about it. The main thing is what we do on our side of the net."

UH's Dio Dante, who leads the nation in blocking, said: "We've got the advantage of knowing the game of volleyball. There aren't many new tricks they can do. Our coaches are pretty good at seeing the other team's tendencies. I'm sure we'll figure out what to do during the course of the game."

After mixing and matching lineups in the first two weeks, the Warriors settled on this rotation: setter Brian Beckwith,; left-side hitters Matt Vanzant and Hakala; opposite Jim Clar; middles Dante and Matt Rawson; and libero Eric Kalima.

Although that rotation was in place for one practice before the two victories over Pacific, the Warriors found instant chemistry. Vanzant, a second-year freshman, and Kalima stabilized the passing. Dante and Rawson are 1-2 nationally in blocking. Clar, at 6 feet 2 — the same height as Hakala and Vanzant — proved to be a capable blocker and power hitter.

"Some of the younger guys hadn't played in an NCAA game until last week," Beckwith said. "It was all about experience. Everybody knew it was going to come. With any young team in any spot, there's always that learning curve. Our learning curve happened to be against (top-ranked) Irvine (in the season-opening series)."

But after three months of fall training, Beckwith was confident the Warriors would find their groove.

"Me worried?" Beckwith said. "Come on. We've always had the talent. It was a matter of time before (the new starters) figured out they had to step up and play like Division I athletes out there."

Still, Wilton said he has not decided on a lineup for tonight, only saying: "We've taken a nice step forward."

Dante said: "Everybody on our team can play. There's going to be some chemistry. We had to experiment to find it. I'm not saying it's going to be the best chemistry we can find all year. Maybe we can find something better later. We'll see what happens."

BYU PLAYS PENN STATE

Tournament-opening opponents Brigham Young and Penn State also are in an adjustment period.

BYU coach Tom Peterson was dismissed last summer, succeeded by "co-interim head coaches" Shawn Patchell and Ryan Millar. They remain optimistic.

"We had a great fall, and we worked during the offseason," Patchell said. "So far, so good."

During fall drills, Reed Chilton won a seven-way battle at setter. Then he suffered a knee injury. He won't play this year.

But Yamil Perez, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Puerto Rico, seized the job.

"He's playing great," Millar said. "He's an international-caliber player, so he's used to playing in big matches."

Libero Joel Silva, a freshman from Venezuela, and Cuba-raised outside hitter Yosleyder Cala also have competed in international tournaments.

With Russell Holmes in the middle, the Cougars are solid in key positions.

As for the co-leadership, Millar said: "We're just two guys who like to coach. The players make it all happen."

The Nittany Lions' makeover begins at setter, where 6-foot Luke Murray succeeds Dan O'Dell.

"The difference is about six inches," coach Mark Pavlik said. "Luke is kind of everything Danny was not. Danny was big and rangy. Danny can control left-side hitters. Luke is quick. He can get to the ball. He can keep us in system. He locates a little better when he's on the move."

Murray will help the Lions run a quicker offense. Murray, whose high school teams won four state titles, accepts the challenge.

"I'm so used to playing the game," said Murray, a junior. "I have a lot of experience. I don't get intimidated by anybody. I don't let that get to me."

Pavlik said he does not expect his team to be as dominant at the net. Four four-year starters, including middle Nate Meerstein, completed their NCAA eligibility last May.

"We lost quantity and quality," Pavlik said. "Last year's team had the personality. This year's team is probably searching for one. The good thing is we have some time to work on those areas."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.