Hawai'i didn't care if it was the opposition, the ambience or simply Victoria Prince. The fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine finally won a volleyball game and match last night. The who, where and why didn't matter.

The 'Bows (1-2) took out last week's frustration on seventh-ranked Southern California, 30-23, 30-27, 33-31, in the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic. The sweep in their home opener came before 5,687 at Stan Sheriff Center, and Penn State and Western Michigan — Hawai'i's opponents tonight and Sunday.

They saw a UH team that looked more like the tenacious bunch of a year ago than the scared-winless squad that was swept by top-ranked Nebraska and the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions last week in Omaha.

"Today I felt that it was going to happen," said Prince, who had a match-high 17 kills, hit .517 and was in on eight of Hawai'i's 10 stuffs. "In practice all week we were working on the things we needed to work on. When we stepped on the court I felt the energy and chemistry back. It was the same feeling we had last year."

Coach Dave Shoji was relieved the rare three-match (dating to last year's NCAA regional) skid had ended. "We won," he said. "That was all that mattered tonight. We got a bunch of breaks in Game 1 and Game 2. ... We didn't get any of those last week."

The win was also the first time since 1999 UH beat USC and it kept the 'Bows' NCAA-best home winning streak alive at 39. The last team to beat UH here was USC, two years ago, in the midst of an NCAA-record 52-match winning streak that covered two NCAA championship seasons. The Trojans, who start three seniors, have been in the last three final fours.

"They've got great players but they are missing a couple of attackers," said Shoji, who is in the same position. "They are hard to stop but predictable. ... We slowed down their hitters enough, just enough."

Prince, a second-team All-American, was not slowed nearly enough. She buried all five swings in the first game, and jump-started a 6-0 run with her jump serve, giving UH its first lead (15-14).

When USC sent most of its blockers after her in Game 2, setter Kanoe Kamana'o found outside hitters Alicia Arnott, Jamie Houston and Susie Boogaard for 15 of the team's 19 kills.

USC looked back outside in Game 3, which was tied 21 times. Prince burned them. She and Kamana'o started working the middle, with success. Prince took 15 swings and drilled 10 down. She accounted for the 'Bows' final five points, on three kills, a block and an ace on match point.

Prince and the home crowd crushed USC's comeback. "The fans are just wild," Houston said after her first look. "They give you more energy."

Prince's serving put UH ahead in Game 1, but it was Ashley Watanabe's serve that finished off the Trojans. She went back with the game tied at 18. When she was done, UH was up 25-18, with Watanabe floating two aces and Houston burying three kills.

The freshman started for injured hitter Sarah Mason, who was starting for injured Tara Hittle. Houston had her freshman moments and was replaced by red-shirt freshman Jessica Keefe in the final game. But she finished with 10 kills. She was a perfect foil for Arnott, who dropped seven on her 11 kills in the same game.

Hittle, who sprained her right ankle in the preseason, played for the first time, but only in the back row. Mason, who sprained her ankle a week ago, did not suit up.

Penn State (3-1) swept Western Michigan (2-1) in the first match, 30-19, 30-26, 30-22. Kate Price (16 kills) and Cassy Salyer (nine) both hit over .400 for PSU and senior libero Kaleena Walters had 19 digs. Katy Duffy, the Broncos' career dig leader, had 15.

The Nittany Lions, who opened the tournament by beating USC Wednesday, have won three straight since falling in five in their season-opener against third-ranked Stanford. A win tonight over the Rainbow Wahine would give PSU the Classic title.

NOTES

Hawai'i is 41-12 in this tournament and has won nine of the first 17 championships.

Penn State is 2-0 against UH, and 6-1 in Hawai'i, where it won its only national championship (1999).

The UH Student-Athlete Advisory Council is taking donations for Hurricane Katrina victims at this weekend's volleyball and football games. SAAC collected $1,591.84 last night.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.