Wahine just keep winning

Based on all that has happened since eighth-ranked Hawaii and Cal State Northridge opened the Big West Conference volleyball season three weeks ago, no one knows what to expect when they play again Friday at Stan Sheriff Center.

The Matadors (13-6) had two serves for the match in the fifth set against the Rainbow Wahine in their Matadome. They could not convert and, after beating defending Big West champ Long Beach State, have also lost two of their last three to drop to 4-3 in conference. CSUN was swept by UC Santa Barbara last Friday.

Since escaping Northridge and Cal State Fullerton opening week, Hawaii (14-2) has rolled to a 7-0 Big West start, dominating everybody else, including the 49ers and Gauchos. UH won last week without all-conference hitter Jane Croson, suspended indefinitely for breaking undisclosed team rules.

Setter Mita Uiato is now the only returning starter from last year at the same position. Freshman Tai Manu-Olevao, just activated last week, will probably start on the right side Friday. Second-team All-American Emily Hartong has moved from the middle to the left. She averaged more than five kills a set last week, taking 96 swings in Croson’s absence and providing 40 percent of the offense.

"I thought the players handled everything really well last week," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "They are still focused, they still want to be good. They want Jane back, but they understand how things have to go and definitely are prepared to go on without her if that’s the case."

If Northridge plays as well as it did last time against Hawaii, they might need her. Croson had a match-high 18 kills against the Matadors, who were up 14-12 in the fifth and held the Wahine 100 points below their Big West-best .268 hitting percentage. CSUN ranks 21st nationally in blocking and its attack is balanced. ‘Iolani graduate Mahina Haina — who practiced with most of the Wahine over the summer — is second on the team in kills and one of five Matadors averaging two-plus a set.

But, like every other Big West team, Northridge has also proven it is vulnerable. Its RPI dropped from 70 to 91 this week. Even with its road sweep, the Wahine fell five spots to No. 26 because Cal Poly’s power rating is so low (217). UH is the only Big West team in the top 40, but Pacific (41), Long Beach (54), Santa Barbara (78) and CSUN are all in the Top 100.

That is a level up from last year in the Western Athletic Conference, whose best-rated team now is New Mexico State at No. 96.

Still, it’s hard to see Hawaii’s RPI improving before the NCAA tournament bracket is announced Nov. 25. Its wins over Saint Mary’s (47), San Francisco (51) and Stanford — now No. 1 in the RPI — will help. Losses to UCLA (4) and Cal (35) are not as painful as they were, but moving up against Big West competition will be almost as tough as it was in the WAC. A loss all but ends the long shot of hosting a subregional.

"If you are not playing well you are going to get beat in this conference," Shoji said. "Our RPI is not going down much. We’re at the mercy of other teams winning or losing. We’ve got to hope our preseason teams win most of their games."

NOTES

» UH coach Dave Shoji is 10 wins short of 1,100 for his career. Former UCLA coach Andy Banachowski holds the NCAA record for women with 1,106 victories.

» UH’s conference winning streak of 62 is the longest active streak in the country.

» The Wahine are in the top two of every major Big West statistic with the notable exceptions of aces and digs, where they rank 198th in the country. They are 23rd nationally in hitting (.268), with Kalei Adolpho (.361), Jade Vorster (.333) and Emily Hartong (.274) among the top eight in the conference. They are 30th in blocking (2.67). Hartong’s 4.27 kps ranks 25th nationally.

» Through its first 11 home matches, Hawaii leads the country in attendance, averaging 6,748 — 2,258 more than No. 2 Nebraska and 66 fewer than what the Wahine drew last year. They have led the nation in attendance every year since moving into the Stan Sheriff Center in 1994.