Playing two of the top volleyball teams in the Pacific West Conference over and over and over and over can be looked at a number of different ways.

UH Hilo head volleyball coach Chris Leonard chooses all the positives that come with beating each other up over the course of a little over a month.

"I look at it as it is going to make the three of us that much better," Leonard said of playing Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade seven times each. "I expect that all three of us will be that much the better because of it. There is a huge benefit in being ultimately challenged every time you step on to the court."

The Sharks, Vulcans and Silverswords will do it again this coming weekend at Vulcan Gymnasium. On Friday and Saturday (April 3-4), there will be three matches each day, with each team playing each other twice. 

In the last full season before COVID-19, the three Hawaii teams accounted for three of the top four spots in the PacWest standings.

In the first tournament hosted two weeks ago on Oahu, four of the six matches went five sets. Three of UH Hilo's matches fit into that category. In 2019 when the Vulcans went 23-8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament, they played nine 5-set matches.

"Although it is not always enjoyed, the only way to get better playing under pressure is to play under pressure," Leonard added. "When you do it enough, you don't get that bothered heading into a fourth or fifth set."

The Vulcans were the winner of the mini-Hawaii Pod tournament in March, going 3-1 while Chaminade finished 2-2 and Hawaii Pacific was 1-3. Both matches between the Silverswords and Vulcans went five sets, with the teams splitting the two contests. 

"There are so many things that are great about playing these spring matches," Leonard said. "We get to play great teams and can also play deeper into our roster that we might usually do. It is a great opportunity for our players."

The action begins on Friday at 10 am when the Vulcans take on Hawaii Pacific. Due to Hawaii County pandemic protocols, no fans will be allowed inside Vulcan Gymnasium. All matches will be streamed and available. For complete schedule information for the tournament, including information about streaming, go to hiloathletics.com.