Halfway through the insanity that is the Hawaii volleyball team’s October schedule, the eighth-ranked Rainbow Wahine have just one goal in mind: get to the end of the month with nothing haunting them except overindulging on Halloween candy.

Hawaii (20-1, 8-0 Western Athletic Conference) finishes its brief four-match homestand at 5 p.m. today against Idaho (11-10, 5-3). It’s a homestand sandwiched between two mainland trips, a schedule that adds up to nine matches in five states over 17 days.

"We just have to get through it," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said after Saturday’s practice. "We are asking a lot from our players. It’s unfortunate how the schedule worked out, playing so many games in a short time.

"We just have to make sure we respect every opponent, no matter what their record."

Hawaii will not be looking past today’s opponent. Idaho took UH to four in the Wahine’s first road test of the year and "we struggled with them in that first road game," Shoji said. "They have a good, young outside hitter (sophomore Allison Walker), who played well against us (17 kills). She’s someone we need to key on."

Walker was not cleared to play Friday night at San Jose State, but is expected to play today. Kanani Danielson, UH’s senior All-America hitter, also didn’t play Friday because of illness. She practiced Saturday and is expected to be in the lineup today; against the Vandals last month, she had 24 kills and 10 digs in becoming the seventh player in program history to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

Sophomore Emily Hartong, playing her third position this season, replaced Danielson on the left Friday and went off for a match-high 15 kills, hitting .344, and did her best Danielson impersonation in her first time in the passing rotation.

"I don’t know how Kanani does it, how she does it all," said Hartong, who also has played middle and right-side. "It’s a lot harder than it looks."