The NCAA proved it sure can't pick 'em when it comes to drawing crowds. Giving the unseeded Rams the host slot over unbeaten and third-seeded Hawai'i saved on airfare and was supposed to be a big draw. Instead, this frozen town of 80,000 could now care less about tonight's match.

This is the Boilermakers' first NCAA appearance since 1990. Last night was their first NCAA win since 1987. CSU's 10th consecutive NCAA appearance was cut short of its stated goal of advancing beyond the Sweet 16, where its seasons have ended four of the last five years.

Hawai'i coach Dave Shoji was admittedly happy to have the home team's crowd silenced. He was asked before the CSU match how he felt about the Rams hosting instead of his unbeaten team.

"The initial feeling was shock," Shoji said. "But the team knew what we had to do. It took the players maybe 20 minutes to get by it. It took the coaches maybe 20 hours."

After the Rams had been vanquished, Shoji wouldn't comment on if there was a "bachi" factor behind Purdue's huge upset. Instead, he grinned and said: "I'm sure the committee is happy that Colorado State wasn't a seeded team. I can't say anything else."

Then he went looking for Purdue film. The Boilermakers' balance provides a challenge unlike anything Hawai'i has seen this season. They beat two ranked teams (Georgia Tech and Illinois), but have been swept six times by the Big Ten's big three — third-ranked Penn State, fourth-ranked Minnesota and seventh-ranked Ohio State.

"I was surprised," Shoji said. "Colorado State is very athletic but Purdue just kept making plays. I thought it was great they could hang in there. They didn't let the crowd bother them. They didn't let them run a lot of points."

Last night's first-round match was Purdue's seventh five-gamer of the season. It has won four. CSU said Dargan's penchant for dumping the ball over on the second hit totally threw off its defense. The players said they started "obsessing" over Dargan. Coach Tom Hilbert said they didn't "obsess" enough.

In contrast, the Boilermakers played without any pressure and knew after the first game that the Rams were ripe for an upset.

Now, Purdue gets the unbeaten team everyone can't quite believe. Senior Kim McConaha said that when she was little, when she thought of volleyball, she thought of Hawai'i.

"When everybody in the country thinks of volleyball," added her coach Dave Shondell, "they think of Hawai'i."

NOTES

Phone home: Rainbow Wahine fans gave new meaning to "braving" the elements last night. In a section behind the baseline and under the American flag, there was a large group of UH fans from Colorado. Two had Hawaiian flags. Six others wore board shorts and no shirts, with W-A-H-I-N-E painted on their chests. They stood the entire match. The temperature never reached 30 degrees yesterday in Fort Collins.

Locals only: UH freshman Tara Hittle, who grew up about 3 hours from here, also had a large rooting section. Her mother, Linda Heffner, filmed the entire match with a hand-held camera.

Nice number: The Rainbow Wahine have now defeated their last 200 unranked opponents since Sept. 12, 1997.

Not so big: UH is 33-7 against Big 12 teams, including 4-0 against Colorado. The Big 12 and Big Ten each had seven teams in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Quick hello: Punahou graduate Krislen Morgado, whose father is former NFL player Arnold Morgado, saw her only action at the end of the third game. Morgado is a junior at Colorado.

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UH freshman Tara Hittle, who is from Colorado Springs, when asked why she didn't play for a Colorado college:

"In Hawai'i I felt like I could be myself and not get into trouble for being too goofy. That's the honest truth."