As ninth-ranked Hawaii leaves on its third volleyball road trip it is still without one of its best players — Jane Croson remains on suspension, but it is no longer “indefinite” — and with the NCAA’s best current conference winning streak (65).

If the Rainbow Wahine come home with that record intact, after matches this weekend at Long Beach State and UC Irvine, Croson could rejoin them to try to add to it.

“She is back at practice and she has got a few obligations to meet,” UH coach Dave Shoji says. “If everything goes well she could be activated next week.”

Her presence has already been felt. At Tuesday’s early morning practice Croson played for the “B” side, which won nearly every scrimmage against the starters. The drills were designed to give the reserves an advantage, but Croson’s impact was still compelling. 

She has been out, for breaking unspecified team rules, more than three weeks. It didn’t look like she had missed a beat

“If that’s the case next week,” Shoji said, “she’ll start.”