The 11th-ranked Rainbow Wahine (3-0) open against Southwestern Missouri State (5-0) which, with a victory over Fresno State, looks to be a step up from the Eastern Washington team UH swept last week.

Santa Clara (3-0) is ranked 17th and was picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference. Those are improvements over No. 20 San Diego, which was picked fourth in the WCC and wasn't ranked until it blitzed then-No. 17 Arizona and fell in five to Hawai'i here.

The 'Bows' final Challenge match is against third-ranked UCLA (4-0). The Bruins lost one senior from last year's elite-eight team and swept then-No. 15 Texas A&M in College Station Saturday.

Hawai'i won its Hawaiian Air Classic last week with a surprising combination of precociousness and tenaciousness. The Rainbows, with only one returning starter (tournament MVP Kanoe Kamana'o), won every point they had to have in outlasting San Diego and Arizona.

Both matches went nearly 3 hours and ended with the resourceful Rainbows out-playing more seasoned opponents in the closing moments. It won't be the last time the baby 'Bows stay up past their bedtime.

"I think fans know the matches will be longer this season," says Davy Murayama, director of concessions at SSC. "We're hoping they decide to eat dinner here now and not go to Zippy's after."

The Bears' success has come despite three major pukas in last year's 27-6 team: They lost their setter and two most prolific hitters, including Linette White, the program's inaugural All-American (third team).

Santa Clara moved up five spots in the poll after warming up for a sweep of Pacific with five-game victories over Sacramento State and Arkansas. The Broncos are hoping to ride all-WCC players Toni Muratore and Cassie Perret to a seventh straight NCAA Tournament, but have to replace All-American Becky Potter and setter Kelli Sousa from last year's 20-11 team.

UCLA is the most experienced Challenge team by far, with seven upperclassmen, including all-Pac-10 hitter Brynn Murphy. Setter Krystal McFarland, an honorable mention Pac-10 selection, was MVP of last weekend's McDonald's/Texas A&M Invitational. Two-time all-conference libero Chrissie Zartman shattered the school digs record last week and is one of the country's premier passers.

NOTES

• Before Sunday, the last time Hawai'i played back-to-back five-game matches and won both was in 1984.

• The Rainbow Wahine are 40-11 in the 18 Wahine Classics, 113-58 against Pac-10 teams and 10-0 against Arizona.

• UH coach Dave Shoji is hoping to redshirt freshmen Nickie Thomas and Jessica Keefe.

• WAC teams were 24-7 the first week. Nevada was the only West team with a losing record after going 1-2 in its Sands/SBC Tournament. One of the losses came in five games against then-No. 6 Stanford.