While ninth-ranked University of Hawaii grinds through one final Western Athletic Conference season, hoping it will be as predictable as possible, its future conference is playing like a volleyball reality show.

In the Big West’s opening weeks:

» Cal Poly named third-year assistant Caroline Walters interim head coach. Jon Stevenson had taken the Mustangs to two NCAA tournaments in his sixyears, but was "relieved of his duties" four matches into this season;

» UC Riverside broke a two-year conference skid by upsetting preseason favorite Long Beach State. Riverside hadn’t won at The Beach in eight years;

» UC Santa Barbara got its first win in Long Beach in seven years, and;

» UC Davis, which has only been NCAA Division I five years, took an 11-match winning streak into the second conference week. It was promptly swept by team-in-turmoil Cal Poly. Last Saturday, the Aggies had UCSB 14-11 in the fifth and lost.

Nearly half the conference matches have gone the full five sets going into Friday’s matches. No team is unbeaten and no team is even close to being ranked. UC Davis, UCSB and LBSU are getting enough votes for a combined 19 points in the AVCA Top 25.

Defending Big West champ Cal State Fullerton, whose only wins coming into the conference season were against Quinnipiac, Eastern Washington, Presbyterian, Montana and Brigham Young, was tied for first after two weeks. The Rainbow Wahine stay on the mainland after next month’s WAC tournament to play at Fullerton, Nov. 25.

Long Beach State has won nine Big West titles, Santa Barbara and Pacific five each and Cal Poly and Fullerton getting the others.

The Rainbow Wahine (14-1, 4-0 WAC) take a nine-match winning streak into their meeting with San Jose State (6-11, 1-3) tonight at Stan Sheriff Center.

They have also won their last 45 regular-season conference matches — longest streak in the nation — and last 40 against the Spartans. SJSU has lost 30 consecutive sets to UH.