Play on until that whistle sounds.

Play hard until told it’s done.

That’s been the mind-set this past week for the Hawaii volleyball team, which is hoping that Saturday’s practice wasn’t the last of the season. The Rainbow Wahine (18-8), considered a bubble team for one of 32 at-large berths in the NCAA tournament, will learn today whether they are in the 64-team field or out, missing the postseason for the first time since 1992.

Several prognostication websites have Hawaii as one of the last teams in, with the Wahine getting help from this week’s results on the mainland, with teams with better RPIs losing. The most notable was the slide by UCLA (Monday RPI 35), which has lost its last three and six of seven. The Bruins finished 13-14, making them ineligible for an at-large bid by finishing below .500.

However, given Hawaii’s history with NCAA tournament selection — most of it bad — the Wahine (RPI 50) will not exhale until seeing “Hawaii” listed on the bracket during the 3:30 p.m. ESPNU broadcast.

“It will be pretty disappointing if we don’t make it,” said outside hitter McKenna Granato, one of seven Wahine to have played their last home match on Nov. 16. “I think it’s 50-50, but we have high hopes.

“This last week of practice has been good — honing skills, keep working on getting better. We just pray and hope everything goes our way.”

With no matches scheduled during the holiday week, Hawaii’s been able to focus on itself in the practice. Not going hard every minute was not an option.

“Even if it’s a situation like this, even when you don’t know, it’s not hard,” Granato said. “You come into the gym with your teammates, you have a routine and it would be hard not to give it your all.”

Whether there is one more road trip this coming week, Granato already has left her mark on the Hawaii program. She is the 20th Wahine to reach the 1,000-kill career mark (currently at 1,044) and has more than 700 digs (742), 100 aces (107) and 100 blocks (103).

On Tuesday, the Punahou alumna was named to the All-Big West first team for a second consecutive year. She finished the regular season as Hawaii’s team leader in kills and aces, and third in digs.

More remarkable than how effective Granato was — 18 double-digit-kill matches this season alone — was how effective she was late in a match. When other players began to cool off as the match wore on, Granato continued to pound away, seemingly able to put more heat on the ball. It wore on wearying defenses.

Coaches around the Big West recognized that, agreeing that Granato was one of the more dangerous hitters in the conference. It was the potential for her to go off — particularly late — that was always a concern.

“I’ve known ‘Mac’ since coaching her in club,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos said of ‘Imi ‘ike Volleyball Club. “She was like that then, always swinging hard. She’s undersized (generously listed at 6 feet) for an outside, but we’ve told her, ‘It doesn’t matter how tall you are. Work on your passing and defense and you’re a complete player.’

“We’ll miss her presence.”

Volleyball remains in Granato’s future, whether this coming week or next year. She’ll continue to train in spring while finishing her degree in human development and family resources, hoping to play professionally overseas.

“Eventually I’d like to get an internship, get a third-world experience working in orphanages or a sustainability program,” Granato said. “But volleyball is putting a pause on things career-wise. I’d like to play a couple of years and have more time to figure it out.

“It’s going to be different, having to shift from that routine that you’ve had for the past four years.”

Depending on what happens this afternoon, either that routine will continue for at least another week or that final whistle will be blown.

Note

If Hawaii does not receive an NCAA bid, the Wahine will have an automatic berth in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship as the highest-placing team in a conference not to receive an NCAA berth. Although no official word has been given, Hawaii likely will decline entry into the event.