All 15 Rainbows played. Surprisingly — if anything about this anything-but-tender young team can still be considered surprising — there was never an obvious letdown. At the end, backup setter Cayley Thurlby was spiking and stuffing in the front row and tiny defensive specialist Raeceen Woolford was trying to rip kills from the back.

"It's always fun when you get everybody in, and everybody did well when they went in," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "They had a dig or a save or a kill. Everybody contributed. Usually when you sub like that it falls off and gets disorganized, but we made it look pretty good."

Hawai'i lost the first point of the night and proceeded to terrorize Tulsa (13-8, 2-7) for the next 85 minutes, holding an opponent under 60 points for the third time in four matches.

The Rainbow Wahine scored the next eight points with Arnott serving. Kari Gregory, the latest starting middle blocker, was responsible for half the points with three kills and a block.

Susie Boogaard

Joyce Silva, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Brazil, was the only 'Cane to carve an offense out of the 'Bows' defense. She had seven of her team's 10 first-game kills and finished with a team-high 12.

She also reminded Shoji of his greatest fear at this point. While the players worry most about steadying out, he is concerned about how his relatively small blockers can deal with a big-time terminator.

"We just need to try and figure something out against a big hitter," he said. "Ultimately, that's what's going to hurt us. Our block is not big enough. We're pretty small at some positions. A big hitter can just overpower us. Silva had some shots we couldn't defend. When she got a good set, she elevated and went over us. That's a fear I have of an NCAA opponent."

Last night, the rest of Tulsa simply did not have the talent to turn it around. Melody Eckmier, who came in from the UH bullpen a night earlier to earn the save against Rice, started Game 2 and stuffed two balls. The 'Bows scored in bunches, hitting .394. Boogaard set the pace by going 6 for 8.

Her exceptional efficiency was a welcome sight for the 'Bows. Boogaard, who has taken more swings and put down more than her share of clutch kills this season, had struggled recently. Last night it looked like she had worked her way out, with a little help from her friends.

"That's what's so special about our team, that's why we keep winning," Boogaard said. "You never know who is going to have a big game. We don't know, so there's no way the other team can know. Everybody goes out and plays hard and contributes in their own way. Somebody comes through every time."

Hawai'i had used 11 players before Game 3 began. Shoji brought Juliana Sanders into the middle to start the final game and shifted Teisa Fotu to the right side. Still, offense looked so easy that fans started yelling for setter Kanoe Kamana'o to set herself.

She did just about everything else, passing out assists to nine hitters, stuffing two balls and digging 14 more.

It was just another night at the unbeaten office, for Kamana'o and all the rest of the Rainbows. Tulsa is not surprised Hawai'i has undergone a total makeover and can still play smash ball in the WAC.

Hurricane setter Vanessa Thon said because of the Rainbow Wahine's "history. They have a lot of confidence."