Tonight in the 22nd annual Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine play a team tinkering with its lineup and unsure of its starters. Texas is also the best team Hawai'i will face until December.

The second-ranked Longhorns feature a roster full of athletes who are a highlight film waiting to happen. Many come by their brilliance naturally.

Seniors Destinee Hooker and Ashley Engle are first-team All-Americans. Hooker moonlights as the NCAA's best high jumper while Engle is playing a new position her final year (setter).

Juliann Faucette, whose father Chuck played for the Chargers and is now the St. Louis Rams assistant strength coach, was 2007 national freshman of the year. Rachael Adams' father, Richard, played for the San Antonio Spurs.

Setter Michelle Kocher was last year's Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and isn't even playing.

When the unbeaten Rainbows play their fourth straight ranked opponent it won't take long to realize they aren't in Saint Louis any more, or Santa Clara or even UCLA. The Longhorns (3-0) are the next level.

"Texas has got size and athletic ability," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "There aren't too many kids on Saint Louis who are going to touch 10-6 like all the Texas players do. Saint Louis is a very good volleyball team. Texas is a good volleyball team with better athletes."

And much bigger than the 'Bows at every position. But based on what the Longhorns did to 10th-ranked Cal Thursday, Hawai'i's most compelling worry tonight will be Engle.

Picture, if you can, a 6-foot-3 left-handed right-side hitter-turned-setter extremely adept at hiding her shots. Now picture trying to stop her in a split second. Engle came into the week with 12 kills and seven hitting errors. Thursday she had 12 kills and no errors, and no intention of giving her team a reason to return to the two-setter offense with which it opened.

"The problem is, she's left-handed and got a great feel for when to hit and when to set," Shoji said. "There could be a lot of 1-on-1's because we have to honor her. I'm not sure we can stop her."

Hawai'i's hopes lie in its passing, which has just four reception errors this season, and serving, maybe the only way to slow the Texas attack.

"They are still capable of going over you even if they are out of system," Shoji said, "but I'd rather try to dig some out-of-system balls rather than have to deal with their offense."

Saint Louis coach Anne Kordes isn't counting Hawai'i out.

"Texas is more physical but Hawai'i makes plays — you think a ball is going down and it's not," she said after UH took her team out in four Thursday. "They dug two or three more balls in each game than we did. It's just their ability. I wouldn't say our team didn't try as hard or we weren't in the right spots. They just have this ability that is unbelievable and that's what they are known for — ball control and great players who grew up playing on the beach."

NOTES

The Classic closes tomorrow with Texas taking on Saint Louis at 3 p.m. and Hawai'i playing Cal, its fifth straight ranked opponent and second from the Pac-10, at approximately 5 p.m. The 'Bows play Weber State, Texas-San Antonio and 11th-ranked Stanford in next week's Honolulu Advertiser Challenge (Sept. 10 to 12), then meet 21st-ranked Pepperdine, Sept. 18 and 19.

According to Texas coach Jerritt Elliott, Punahou graduate Sydney Yogi was his team's new starting libero the first 10 days of practice. Then senior Heather Kisner came on to earn her spot back. Kisner started every match last year and broke the school record for digs in a season.

"Sydney is getting better and better," Elliott said. "That's another battle that is neck and neck. Sydney will definitely get her shot sometime during the season. She's improved so much, has a great attitude. She's our best defender. We're aware of that and she's right there passing with Heather. It's getting closer and closer. If she gets a little edge she will make it very difficult on the coaches."