While the Western Athletic Conference volleyball season might always end the same — Hawai'i has won the past 11 championships — each year has surprises.

They often happen on the WAC's rugged road, where the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine are for the first time this season. They play at Louisiana Tech tonight and New Mexico State Saturday.

After an NCAA-record 132 consecutive conference victories, the 'Bows lost at NMSU three years ago. A year later, they were stunned by Utah State in Hawai'i. Last year, it was NMSU's turn to humble UH at home.

In the opening week of this WAC season, Louisiana Tech, of all teams, fired the first shocker by beating Utah State. It wasn't so much that the Techsters won over one of the WAC's best teams, but that they won at all. Their last WAC victory was Sept. 29, 2007.

The Techsters' out-of-nowhere win Saturday got the Rainbows' attention — unlike Ruston, La., where yesterday's football game is about all that broke the 'Bows' studious silence.

"There is absolutely nothing in Ruston," UH sophomore Stephanie Ferrell said. "Well, there's a Walmart. That's about it."

To get to their first road match of the season, the Rainbow Wahine (11-2, 2-0 WAC) flew 7 1/2 hours to Dallas Tuesday night, then sat in the airport nearly 5 hours before their hourlong flight to Monroe, La. That was followed by a bus ride of about the same length.

If it hadn't been for the football game, pretty much all the time they weren't sleeping, eating or playing would have been spent studying. The LaTech trip has become a tutor's dream. Ferrell planned to tackle "tons of homework" on this trip. Freshman Brittany Hewitt, who had never been east of Colorado before, was preparing for midterms in Geology and the Psychology of Human Sexuality.

UH coach Dave Shoji also had assignments for his players. At their last practice before leaving Tuesday he was extremely distressed with their positioning. That will be a focal point tonight.

"We need to focus on defense and knowing our assignments, where we should be," Ferrell said. "Other than that we just need to work on staying disciplined and being focused and keeping our energy. It's harder when we play lower teams. They don't give you any energy so we have to really promote it within the team that we have to bring our own energy and stay hyped and excited for the game because they are really not going to give us any energy. At all."

Shoji wants his team to look like it did against Idaho Saturday, in its seventh straight sweep. The 'Bows overwhelmed the Vandals with a run that lasted most of the first two sets.

"I think this is the best Hawai'i team we've faced in a couple years," Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said. "They have more parts. The defense is good, they have a lot of hitters, their setter is doing a great job."

Shoji called it "a good sendoff," then spent the past three days trying to bring his team back to earth.

"When you are on the road you want to win," Shoji said. "That's the bottom line. Sometimes it's ugly, but it's not easy to win on the road. Our players in the past did a great job of focusing."

NOTES

ESPN 1420 AM will broadcast both UH road matches live, beginning at 2 p.m. HST today and 3 p.m. HST Saturday. Live statistics should also be available at www.latechsports.com and www.nmstatesports.com.

In this week's national statistics, the Rainbow Wahine are fifth in hitting (.299), 15th in kills (14.2) and 21st in assists (13.07). Individually, freshman Brittany Hewitt remains first in blocking (1.62) and Amber Kaufman, the 'Bows' other middle, is seventh in hitting (.433). Aneli Cubi-Otineru is eighth in aces (0.61).

Idaho will play its first home match Saturday. Stony Brook is the only other team in the nation to play its home opener later.

Saint Francis graduate Kylie Harrington (22 kills, 20 digs) was one of three Nevada players with a double-double in the Pack's four-set victory over Fresno State last week. Harrington has led Nevada in kills in 12 of 14 matches.