"We remember everything that happened last year," said Oliveira, HPU's setter and the Pacific West Conference Player of the Year. "The last match was against San Bernardino. We lost 3-0. That killed us. We learned from that."

Two Hawai'i teams — HPU and Chaminade — advanced to this week's NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Pacific Regional at UC San Diego's RIMAC Arena in La Jolla, Calif. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament starts tomorrow and finishes Saturday.

Tomorrow, sixth-seeded Chaminade (16-6) will play third-seeded Cal State Los Angeles (17-11) at 10 a.m. Hawai'i time, followed by fifth-seeded HPU (20-3) against fourth-seeded Central Washington (26-0) at 3 p.m. All HPU matches will be broadcast on KUMU 1500 AM.

In the regionals last year, fifth-seeded HPU upset fourth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield and top-seeded San Diego in La Jolla, Calif. In the regional finals, HPU was swept by third-seeded Cal State San Bernardino.

Oliveira believes this year's team will fare better because of experience and familiarity.

"We know each other on and off the court," Oliveira said. "We know how to deal and behave with each other inside the court. That makes a big difference."

To advance, HPU will have to perform against a tough bracket. Top-seeded UC San Diego (25-1) and Central Washington — the champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Association and Great Northwest Conference, respectively — are in HPU's bracket.

"I don't know how that happened," HPU coach Tita Ahuna said. "But we're not going to argue about it. We're just going to play."

Ahuna said HPU has two positives on its side — good height and the ability to pass well.

"When we can pass the ball, we can set a diverse offense that's really hard to block," Ahuna said. "The negative side is, if we don't pass the ball, we go into a slump and we give up a lot of points in a row."

Ahuna said her team has the ability to put up a great block. HPU led the PacWest in blocks with 3.14 per game.

"We're big on the net," Ahuna said. "The downfall is we key on our blocks so well it throws off our defense and sometimes our defense can't get started, and part of winning championships is having excellent defense on the court.

"So there's pluses and minuses. Sometimes we serve well and sometimes we don't. I think it's all mental. Physically and skillwise, we're OK."

HPU outside hitter Flavia Brakling said she's looking forward to the tournament.

"I think the whole problem last year was we were so young," Brakling said. "We didn't look like a team. During the match, we couldn't overcome the hard situations because we weren't together."

That's changed this year, she said.

"We're very hungry," Brakling said. "I'm pretty confident we can do much better than last year. I personally like to use that as a lesson. I don't want that to happen again. We don't want to feel like that again."

Notes: Chaminade advanced to the NCAA regionals for the second time in school history. Chaminade earned its first NCAA regional berth in 2002.

2004 NCAA Women's Volleyball Pacific Regional

At UC San Diego's RIMAC Arena in La Jolla, Calif.

HPU matches live on KUMU 1500 AM

Tomorrow's first round (Hawai'i time)

Game 1: No. 3 Cal State Los Angeles (17-11) vs. No. 6 Chaminade (16-6), 10 a.m.

Game 2: No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino (24-3) vs. No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona (16-11), 12:30 p.m.

Game 3: No. 4 Central Washington (26-0) vs. No. 5 Hawai'i Pacific (20-3), 3 p.m.

Game 4: No. 1 UC San Diego (25-1) vs. No. 8 Cal State Bakersfield (17-8), 5:30 p.m.

Friday's semifinals

Semifinal 1: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m.

Semifinal 2: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday's final

Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 5:30 p.m.

HPU, Chaminade rack up postseason honors

Pacific West Conference champion Hawai'i Pacific and conference runner-up Chaminade accounted for five of the six volleyball all-conference first-team selections as voted by league coaches.

The Sea Warriors placed three players on the first team in sophomore middle blocker Barbara Martin, junior outside hitter/middle blocker Nadica Karleusa and junior setter Vera Oliveira, the PacWest Player of the Year.

"I'm really happy with me and with the team," Oliveira said. "It's a pleasure to play for HPU."

Chaminade had two first-team selections in sophomore middle blocker Patti Hardimon and senior outside hitter Kahala Kabalis.

Oliveira, from Londrina, Brazil, was second in the league in assists per game (12.53), fourth in blocks (0.99) and first in aces (0.62). Martin, from Curibita, Brazil, led the league in hitting percentage (.425) and blocks (1.59). Karleusa, from Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, was eighth in kills per game (3.79), seventh in hitting percentage (.278) and sixth in blocks (0.95).

Hardimon, a 2003 Moanalua graduate, ranked in the conference's top 10 in kills (3.38) and hitting percentage (.333). Kabalis, a 2001 Moanalua graduate, was a repeat first-team selection after ranking second in the league in kills (4.48) and fifth in digs (3.14).

Brigham Young-Hawai'i's Noelle Filimoeatu was named the PacWest Freshman of the Year. The outside hitter from Lindon, Utah, averaged 3.09 kills and 2.48 digs per game. She also had 20 aces and 38 blocks.