"My goal is to finish my studies."
Daniela Carneiro

That's when Navalta received a videotape from Rio de Janeiro via Claudette Carneiro that showcased her daughter, Daniela. The tape needed no translation: Daniela Carneiro was ready to join her cousin, Anik Valiengo, and add to the growing ranks of BYU-Hawaii All-Americans.

It didn't take long for the 5-foot-9 Carneiro to gain national recognition, becoming the first Seasider to earn All-American honors as a freshman in 1993. It was a remarkable accomplishment, particularly since the two-time defending NAIA champs failed to advance to the national tournament with a 9-11 record.

Since then, the Seasiders have rarely lost, going 81-6, including 15-0 this season. They are working on a 43-match winning streak that ranks second in the NAIA annals, having surpassed Texas Lutheran's 1981 mark of 42 with last week's sweep of Hawaii-Hilo.

But Carneiro won't be satisfied until she attains the one goal that eluded her and her teammates in 1993: the national title. It would be the seventh NAIA championship for the Seasiders and the first time they would three-peat after winning two consecutive in 1986-87, 1991-92 and 1994-95.

"Maybe it's not so much a goal for us to win three in a row as much as it is to give our three new starters their first one," said Carneiro, who celebrated her 22nd birthday last Friday with a team-high 14 kills against the Vulcans. "Winning is what counts. I don't care about three in a row. This is a new team. It would be THIS team's first championship."

This Seasider team has formed its own personality, shaped by its captain, Carneiro. Where her cousin, Valiengo, was very vocal, "Dani is more of a listener," said Navalta. "When the team voted her captain, Dani came to me and said, 'Coach, I'm not too sure about how to do this.' I told her to forget about how Anik did things and to find her way of leading."

The senior hitter has done it by example. She leads the Seasiders in kills (220), kill average (3.929), service aces (35) and digs (177).

Carneiro's introduction to volleyball came early as she began following the career of Yvonette Das Neves, the older sister of Anik Valiengo. Das Neves was a member of the Brazilian national team that competed at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and won the silver at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

"When your family is doing something good like that, you become interested," said Carneiro, who played for a top club team, Botafogo. "I started playing for fun. Then I came to love the game.

"I'm having fun now. And I love Hawaii and Laie. It's so peaceful compared to Rio. That city never stops; it goes 24 hours a day."

With mixed emotions, Carneiro followed Valiengo to the BYU-Hawaii campus. Last year, she came close to following her cousin's footsteps a second time, nearly moving from hitter to setter. Navalta told Carneiro last spring to be prepared to take over the setting duties.

"She said, 'Whatever it takes, I'll do,'" said Navalta. "She would have done that out of dedication and loyalty to the team, her giving 200 percent. And her all-around skills would have allowed her to make that kind of move."

Navalta didn't have to make the change. Another Brazilian, freshman setter Juliana Lima, is running the BYU-Hawaii offense.

It has allowed Carneiro to come into her own as a dynamic all-around player who didn't let her success as a freshman stop her progress. Her sophomore season was plagued by injuries but Carneiro rebounded to earn MVP of the 1994 national tournament.

In last year's national final, Carneiro put down a team-high 22 kills against Puget Sound en route to being named to the all-tournament team.

Navalta knew what kind of day his hitter was going to have based on an earlier match.

"In the semifinal against Fresno Pacific, we ran a set play for Dani," recalled Navalta. "She took a backset and just hammered it, just nailed it down the line. Everyone watching said, 'Wow!' That set the tone for the day."

Eight weeks from now, BYU-Hawaii should be back in the Point Loma Nazarene gym, going for another title. Regardless of the outcome, it won't be the end of Carneiro's volleyball career.

"The season is going so fast and I'm having so much fun, I don't want to think about it," said Carneiro, an international business major. "My goal is to finish my studies. I have one more year before I graduate. I want to find a job that will help support my wanting to play volleyball.

"I played (beach doubles) in Brazil and have offers there, but I don't want to go back to Brazil. Maybe somewhere in Europe."

Until then, Carneiro likens the next two months to Carnival (Mardi Gras) time in Rio de Janeiro. She grew up in the middle of the city but always knew where to find a less wild place to enjoy the festivities.

For Carneiro, the party this time is on the court and she is the calm center of the celebration.