By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

You might be interested to know there will indeed be a competitive title race in Western Athletic Conference women's volleyball this year.

For the title of Miss Congeniality, that is.

That it was not a unanimous ballot of the 10 coaches was only because coaches can't vote for their own teams and Dave Shoji was obligated to vote for someone else, not because there really is a race expected.

With 74 consecutive victories against WAC competition over five seasons, there hasn't been much drama to be found on the court lately. With All-Americans Lauren Duggins, Lily Kahumoku, Kim Willoughby and friends back for a run at a national title, there shouldn't be much this year, either.

You know what kind of a rout it is expected to be when even UH, in its new ticket-pricing plan, relegates its "WAC opponents and all other (non-Top 50) teams" to "Tier III" — the bottom of the scale.

Indeed, the tests for UH will bookend the WAC season. They'll come at the start, with four tournaments, and at the end, with the postseason. Among the State Farm Classic, volleyball's version of the national kickoff classic, the Hawaiian Airlines, Aston Imua and UH Invitational fields, at least six teams from the final USA Today Top 25 poll will take the court at the Stan Sheriff Center. Three of the top four — defending national champion Southern California, Stanford and Florida (UH is the other one) — will be here in the first four weeks.

But between Sept. 27 and Nov. 21, the span of the WAC schedule, it is one giant cream-filled Twinkie. Again.

Small wonder that when Shoji was reached on the Mainland and asked for a reaction to being picked first, his immediate question was: "What's happening with conference realignments?"

For any other coach at UH, it might be a curious query. But for the most-decorated sport at Manoa, you could view it as hope that keener competition might be forthcoming.

For most UH sports, the WAC is as good as or better than what it might be offered elsewhere anytime soon. But not in wahine volleyball where it is the first week of July and already the WAC season promises little mystery.