By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

When the Georgia Tech women's volleyball team reached the NCAA Regional final Friday, coach Bond Shymansky buoyantly declared, "I'm sure I'll be smiling from now until I'm on my way back to the Mainland again."

Much as the Yellow Jackets would have liked to have beaten the University of Hawai'i Saturday night, their season, and school and even Atlantic Coast Conference history, were made by just getting to a regional final for the first time.

In this year's NCAA first and second rounds and on through the regional, the Rainbow Wahine were surrounded by teams exceedingly happy just to be there. You saw it in their faces and in their play.

But starting this week it will be a vastly different ballgame. When the Rainbow Wahine arrive in Dallas, site of Thursday's semifinal round of the NCAA Championships, they will be surrounded by teams there for the hardware, not the novelty.

Southern California, Hawai'i and Florida have been solidly entrenched Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the rankings all season. They are the big girls of the sport this year; teams that, for the most part, expected to be there from the first serve of the season back in August in the State Farm Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Like UH, they have listed the final four on their schedules as if it was assumed they were always going to be there. These are teams accustomed to playing for something this time of the year, not staying home and watching the final four on TV while writing Christmas cards.

With the exception of Minnesota, for whom the national semifinals are a first, everybody else is final four-tested and title hungry.

For the Rainbow Wahine, this is the third final four in four years, and they've seen most of these same faces along the way.

Their first-round opponent, Florida, is making its second consecutive appearance and seventh overall. Then there is USC, the defending national champion and winner of a record 45 consecutive matches. The Trojans, too, are back for the third time in four years.

Along the way, the Trojans have seen enough of Kim Willoughby, Lily Kahumoku and friends to be on a first-name basis since first passing time at the final four in Richmond, Va., in 2000, and last year at New Orleans.

For this field, being in Dallas will be all about winning a national championship that only one can take home. That's something that has eluded the Rainbow Wahine since the last of their four in 1987. Florida, despite seven final fours, has yet to win one. USC, which has two national titles, would like to stamp itself as a dynasty with a second consecutive crown.

This final four isn't about just being there and enjoying the moment. It isn't about the souvenir T-shirts and being one of four survivors out of a beginning cast of more than 300 schools.

And the teams that forget that will likely be the ones going home early.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.