Most of the usual volleyball suspects still roam the top of the AVCA Top 25. The difference this season is they keep getting knocked off by unusual suspects.

Unranked Arizona swept top-ranked USC last week. It’s been a free-for-all from top to bottom in the Big Ten. UC Santa Barbara, which lost six of its first nine, stopped then-No. 5 Hawaii in a Big West match two weeks ago.

Last week, the Gauchos (10-8, 5-1) pulled into a tie for second in the Big West conference with the now-eighth-ranked Rainbow Wahine (16-2, 5-1) by extending their win streak to five. UCSB swept Cal State Northridge and took out UC Davis in five.

The Wahine play at CSUN’s Matadome today and finish the first half of the conference season Saturday at Davis (11-9, 3-4). They find themselves in the unusual position of chasing, trailing the Matadors (16-4, 6-1) by a half-match.

"It’s great for us," UH associate coach Scott Wong says. "We talk all the time about getting better, we’ve got to get better. The easiest incentive is not to be in first. It gives you a little more incentive to get after it."

Getting after the Matadors is complicated.

Wong, who oversees UH scouting, calls them the conference’s best blocking team.

Their attack is unusually balanced, with four at 2 kills a set, but no one as high as three. That group includes ‘Iolani graduate Mahina Haina, now seventh on the CSUN career kill list and one of eight upperclassmen who have played nearly ever set.

The scouting report on the Matadors encourages hitters to go down the line and blockers to keep an eye on an unusual offense. Only two Northridge attackers remain in their position all three rotations, with the three others taking turns at middle and outside.

Defenders also have to pay close attention to a very offensive setter. Sydney Gedryn has 83 kills, almost three times as many as Hawaii’s Mita Uiato.

The Matadors are hitting .272, second only to Hawaii, and have won every match when they have hit .250 or better.

Against UCSB, they hit 100 points below their average. They still got votes in this week’s AVCA poll (10 points), after collecting a season-high 43 points the week before. That was their highest total in 21 years.

Wong took the past six Matador matches with him on his iPad to watch on Tuesday’s overnight flight.

Wong will break down those videos into 45 minutes of greatest hits to share with the Wahine, going over the tendencies of each opposing player.

What the technology and scouting does not cover, however, is that opponents will probably play their best against Hawaii, which has worn the bull’s-eye in conference matches since it began dominating them nearly 20 years ago.

That should not be necessary after the loss to Santa Barbara, particularly against Northridge, which held two match points against Hawaii last season.

"Everyone has nothing to lose against us," UH senior Ali Longo shrugged. "They get after it and see what happens. Every team is going to come after us whether we know it or not."

Both matches begin at 4 p.m. Tonight’s will be broadcast live on 1420-AM, with Saturday’s on 1500-AM.