In stark contrast to Las Vegas, Reno rests serenely an hour from the world's largest alpine lake and even closer to the site of the 1964 Winter Olympics.

It is tucked into a Sierra Nevada range covered in fir trees and frosted by the season's first snowstorms. More are predicted this weekend.

Gambling and big-name entertainment are always a possibility and the outdoor options are as deep as Lake Tahoe, whose depth remains unknown.

In the midst of this, second-ranked and top-seeded Hawai'i begins its quest for a sixth straight WAC volleyball championship tonight (3:30 p.m. HST) against eighth-seeded Tulsa. Its mission is to remain focused after ripping through the regular season against these same unranked teams.

The Rainbow Wahine (27-1) arrived last night with a 26-match winning streak this year and an 87-match streak against WAC opponents that dates to 1998.

They know what it feels like to be distracted. So do their opponents. It happens every time they take a trip to Honolulu.

"This is the first year we had to go to Hawai'i and then San Jose," said Louisiana Tech coach Heather Mazeitis. "We had nothing left for San Jose.

"All the way to Hawai'i, all the way back to San Jose ... by then you just want to go home."

DAVE SHOJI

"When we were over there," Nevada coach Devin Scruggs recalls, "we actually talked about how they do this every time they go on the road. They've got a tough deal in that sense. A lot of people complain about going to Hawai'i in terms of travel, but they do it all the time."

This year, the Rainbows have traveled more than 28,000 miles. By the time the season ends, they could add another 16,000 and have flown more than all their WAC West opponents combined. And Hawai'i, which was home the first month of the season, will host an NCAA Regional.

It is part of living in paradise and nearly always playing deep into the postseason.

"We're not getting much sympathy," says UH coach Dave Shoji, whose teams have not lost in an opponent's gym in nearly two years — and have only lost twice at home. "We win because we're better, but we have a routine we believe in and the players believe in and it seems to work for us."

There is nothing routine about taking a college team to Hawai'i. The bus is not an option and for the far-reaching WAC, two and three connections are common.

Once there, players are awestruck by all the diversions. Even coaches can have a tough time concentrating. The length of travel and strong pull of relatively inexpensive — and easily accessed — opportunities dictate more free time and trust than any other trip.

Fresno State coach Lindy Vivas, who grew up in Hawai'i, lets her team go the first day to get everything out of their system. She has also made it a tradition to take her team to Waimanalo, stopping by her parents' to pick up the eight boogie boards they keep in storage for her.

After that, she prays her players aren't overwhelmed by the incomparable atmosphere at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine have drawn 140,000 fans — with up to four home matches remaining —and could clear $500,000 this season. No other team is within, well ... $500,000.

Even with all the distractions and defeats, WAC coaches wouldn't give up the chance to go to Hawai'i for all the fans in Manoa. It is a dream recruiting hook — for players and parents — and an experience unlike any other.

"It is the greatest place in the United States to play college volleyball," says SMU coach Lisa Seifert, whose team might never make another conference trip to Honolulu. "I told my kids, 'Embrace this opportunity — do you know how many college athletes would want to have your jersey on right now, that will never be able to play in this place?

"Embrace it and get after it.' "

The Rainbow Wahine would be wise to follow those words this weekend, to say nothing of the next month and into the mysterious unknown of next season, without seven seniors.

"Next year, Hawai'i is going to be a little more human, I think," Mazeitis says.

Vivas is not sure it will matter.

"I think people are hoping there's going to be a difference, but I wouldn't underestimate their team," Vivas says. "Hawai'i always has good players, whether they are on the court or on the bench. All it means now is the kids on the bench are going to get a chance to hurt you. They may not start off at the point they leave off in December, but they'll find ways to win. It's just not going to be the same way."

QUICK SETS: UH senior Nohea Tano finished the regular season as the highest-ranked hitter in WAC matches, with a .442 percentage. No other hitter was better than .400, including Tano's Hawai'i teammates, who filled four of the next six slots. ...Tano had five attempts over the minimum (four attempts per game) to qualify. ... Tulsa did not have any players named to the all-WAC teams Tuesday. Setter Vanessa Thon ranks second in the WAC, behind UH's Kim Willoughby, in aces. The team is second in aces and digs.