LAS VEGAS » What happens in Vegas might stay in Vegas, but Hawaii’s Western Athletic Conference volleyball farewell here was basically a replay of what has happened throughout the third-ranked Rainbow Wahine’s season.

There are no secrets with this 28-1 team. For all its wins, talent and depth, its passing is suspect, it is extremely small and senior All-American Kanani Danielson sometimes seems to hold it all together with sheer will.

The conference championship the Wahine captured Wednesday — their 13th out of 14 WAC tournaments played during their 16 years of membership — came after a remarkable semifinal rally against Fresno State and yet another WAC tournament final win over New Mexico State.

There was a passing meltdown, illness (Chanteal Satele), lineup lotto and a gutsy and breathtaking comeback Tuesday.

"I’m not quite sure what was going on in the lockerroom (between Sets 2 and 3) when the coaches were not in there," UH coach Dave Shoji said, "but there were some really good, positive things coming out."

Against the Aggies, the Wahine (28-1) launched another new lineup and a suffocating defense that snuffed the outside attack that had haunted them all season. New Mexico State coach Mike Jordan could just watch, in utter frustration and, ultimately, awe.

"I love competing with them and our team loves it and I think our fans love it," he said. "It’s been a fun seven years for us in the conference to get an opportunity to compete with them."

That will all be part of the Big West next season, as Hawaii rejoins the conference it played in from 1988 to 1995, winning four championships. It gets a sneak peek tonight when it takes its 23-match winning streak to Cal State Fullerton (12-15).

Shoji scheduled this final regular-season match soon after the Titans won their first Big West title last season, in part to allow his seven California players to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Now it is all that stands between the Wahine and Sunday’s NCAA bracket announcement.

Expect to see junior Emily Maeda back as the starting libero and senior Alex Griffiths subbing into the back row to give freshman Jane Croson a passing breather in half the rotations.

"I was really pleased with the work Maeda and Griff did in practice," Shoji said. "I thought they were at a point where I could put them in and they would be reliable. They proved me right."

If Satele has recovered she will be on the right side. But freshman Kalei Adolpho’s huge blocking presence and Emily Hartong’s versatility give Shoji a larger look he might need in the NCAA tournament.

"As far as Kalei, I don’t know what to do at this point," Shoji admitted. "A lot has to do with who we play and how we match up. Emily gives us a little stronger block and Chanteal a little more offense on the right. Kalei is so inexperienced, but she is a force in there. She just bothers people and she’s athletic enough to touch a lot of balls."

A victory tonight would leave Hawaii on the cusp of its 19th 30-win season. Its NCAA RPI this week is No. 7. If it gets seeded by the NCAA committee (top 16), it will be at the Stan Sheriff Center next week for a subregional.

Shoji seems more worried about who else will be there than if his team will be home for Rounds 1 and 2 for the first time since 2003. The NCAA power ratings are vastly different from the AVCA Coaches Top 25.

"We have a great record and that part is not going away," Shoji said. "If we happen to lose (tonight) our winning percentage goes down 100ths of points, … so we won’t drop dramatically.

"I can’t really predict how they will do the seeding. Something tells me they will take RPI into consideration very heavily. But I also think they need to look at other factors than RPI because they’ve got some really good teams right around 15 and 16. I’m talking (sixth-ranked) Stanford (No. 16 RPI), (fourth-ranked) UCLA (15), (10th-ranked) Cal (34), (11th-ranked) Washington (30) and even (top-ranked) USC (9).

"I’m hoping the committee looks at good wins, good losses and hot teams rather than strictly RPI. It would be another uneven bracket if they just take RPI into account."

Tonight’s match starts at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on 1420-AM. It can also be accessed on ESPN3 at espn.go.com/watchespn.