Power Five changing volleyball landscape

Once upon a time the University of Hawaii’s first match in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament was as simple and swift as, well, one, two, three.

Or, as then-Rainbow Wahine assistant Charlie Wade decades-ago coined it, “Uno, dos, adios!”

So if you thought Friday’s arduous five-set victory over Texas Christian seemed uncharacteristic taut and dramatic, you are right.

In the previous 17 years of NCAA tournament appearances — all victories — UH had never been extended past four games. In the past 11 it had only been forced to four games twice.

But these are different, much more challenging times, as we have been pointedly reminded. Not just for the Rainbow Wahine, but for their sisters in the non-Power Five conferences. And Friday’s struggle in College Station, Texas, was an illustration.

It used to be that UH drew the likes of — yawn — Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Belmont or Tennessee State for its opening foe. Low-major-level opponents all.

But that has changed. With the multi-million-dollar TV contracts for football and basketball, the Power Five conferences (Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast and Southeastern) have bucks to spread around to other sports, including women’s volleyball, and a Title IX mandate to do so.

That’s more moolah for coaching salaries, recruiting, travel and facilities. All the things that can help attract top drawer talent and build a program pronto.

And TCU is a prime example. Until this year the Horned Frogs had been to just one NCAA tournament. They were, of course, a mid-major themselves through 2011, including, for a time (1996-2000) members of the Western Athletic Conference, where they never finished higher than fifth in women’s volleyball.

Subsequent membership in the lucrative Big 12 changed all that, and TCU now spends an average of $15,565 per player for women’s volleyball, compared to $11,160 for UH, according to recent federal Equity in Athletics figures.

Yes, UH has bigger crowds and a more storied past, but schools such as TCU are closing — and in some cases surmounting — what was once a considerable gap.

Remember when UH, Long Beach State, Pacific and UC Santa Barbara, once brethren in the Big West, were NCAA perennials? Among UH, LBSU and UOP there are eight national championships, but none since 1998.

All are in the top 15 in all-time NCAA Regional appearances, but only UH is even in the tournament this year. Long Beach State, which had been to 25 in a row at one point, has been in just one NCAA tournament since 2011. UCSB just one since 2009.

Long Beach State was 25-6 this year, finishing second to UH in the Big West, and couldn’t get an at-large berth. But the Big Ten had eight at-large teams, the Pac-12 six, the Big 12 four. Of the 32 at-large selections for this NCAA tournament 24 of them came from the five power conferences. The other 27 conferences divided up eight spots.

The Big West Conference that UH calls home got none. Its power rating hurt UH’s seeding and helped result in the Rainbow Wahine drawing a Power Five conference foe instead of a Belmont or Idaho State.

The good news is UH survived its opening challenge this year. At some point in the future it will not.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.