It has been 18 years since San Jose beat Hawaii in volleyball so expect the ninth-ranked Rainbow Wahine to go deep Saturday when they play the Spartans in a Western Athletic Conference match at Stan Sheriff Center.

Deep into their roster, that is. UH coach Dave Shoji has used at least 11 players in all of Hawaii’s WAC matches, with nine rotating as starters. Freshmen Kalei Adolpho and Lizzie Blake are now under the starting microscope and sophomore Emily Hartong has played every position but setter and libero.

“We’ve just got to find what’s best for the team in the long run,” Shoji said, “and the WAC does afford you some comfort in knowing that we’re probably going to win with any lineup. We’ve got enough talent to win all these matches, and the alignment and who is playing doesn’t matter. It might sound arrogant, but I’m trying to be realistic.”

His players, all intent on playing as much as possible, play along. Setter Mita Uiato, impacted most because she needs timing with so many, allows only that Shoji is “changing his mind a lot.”

Hartong, as flexible as she is versatile, said it was explained to her as being nothing about her.

“Before a game Dave will come up to me and say he wants to see how this lineup goes and try to utilize other players by moving me around,” she said. “It gives us a sense of being more comfortable with different options, so when we play tougher teams we can try the lineup out and be comfortable playing it. It gives us a lot of options.”

It is just like practice, where the Wahine rotate regularly. Shoji’s priorities are building a more imposing block on the right, to slow opponents’ left-side hitters, and creating consistency at libero. Bringing Adolpho in transforms the 6-foot-2 Hartong from an under-sized middle to a “pretty big” right-side player. His long look at Blake — a setter in high school — in the libero spot was initiated by the volleyball savvy she seems to have been born with.

Expect to see waves of Wahine Saturday against the Spartans, who have four Hawaii players of their own (Brianna Amian, Alex Akana, Caitlin Andrade and Capri Tirrell). The faces Shoji stays with Wednesday, in a nationally televised (ESPNU) match at second-place New Mexico State, will probably provide a better view of the future.

Notes

Shoji had his fourth hole-in-one Saturday morning in a rare game-day golf outing. His fivesome at Oahu Country Club included former Wahine basketball coach Vince Goo and Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Brandan Kop. All five got on the green at No. 16 — Shoji with an 8-iron — but only four balls were seen when they got up there. They found Shoji’s in the hole.

He followed that eagle with a birdie on the next hole and shot 34 on the back nine, winning his bet with Kop, who was giving Goo and Shoji three shots a side.

“No shame these UH coaches,” Kop said. “But Dave did tell me to say that during his whole round he was consistently planning his strategy for that night’s volleyball game.”

» UH junior Brittany Hewitt ranks in the Top 20 nationally in blocking (1.41 per set) and hitting (.395). Sophomore teammates Emily Hartong and Mita Uiato are 13th in hitting (.406) and 19th in assists, respectively. Senior Kanani Danielson is 29th in points per set (4.75) and 36th in kills (4.15). Hawaii is among the Top 10 in team statistics for hitting (.313), kills (14.78), won-loss percentage (.933), assists (13.56) and blocks (2.93).

» In WAC matches only, four Wahine are among the conference’s top five in blocking. Freshman Kalei Adolpho is No. 1 at 1.88, followed by Hewitt, Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz, Hartong and Danielson.

» Hawaii is averaging 6,599 tickets distributed in its 13 home matches this season, which leads the country. Nebraska is next, at 5,137. Minnesota (3,920), Penn State (3,593), Wisconsin (3,252) and Florida (3,038) follow. No other team is averaging more than 2,713. All of Hawaii’s home matches are among the top 24 crowds this year, along with four tournament matches here between Hawaii opponents.

» ‘Imi ‘Ike Volleyball Club, with alumnae such as Kanani Danielson, begins tryouts Sunday with the 14-unders going from 8-10 a.m. at UH Gym 2. The 15-older tryout is Oct. 30, in UH Gym 1, from 6-8 p.m.

» Upcoming KFVE “The Greatest UH Games Ever!”shows, which air Sundays from 7-9 p.m., are: UH vs. UCLA men’s volleyball from April 24, 1999 (Sunday); UH vs. Navy football from Nov. 20, 1999 (Oct. 16); UH vs. Morehead State, wahine soccer, from Sept. 14, 2003 (Oct. 23), and; UH vs. Oklahoma State, Wahine basketball (WNIT), March 21, 2003 (Oct. 30).