After the release of the 2007 University of Hawai'i football schedule seemed to barely beat the first kickoff, it was refreshing to see the 2008 schedule "finalized" before Leap Day. Or was it?

As it stands now, the Rainbow Warriors play Idaho at 6:05 p.m. Nov. 22 at Aloha Stadium. At the same time, the Rainbow Wahine could be warming up for a Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament semifinal at Stan Sheriff Center.

Why the conference and UH would sabotage their postseason volleyball championship, defending conference football champion and/or the only revenue-producing volleyball program in the country (pick one) is beyond Dave Shoji's comprehension, and patience.

The Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach is gearing up for his 34th season much as he geared up for the 32nd and 33rd — by angrily altering his schedule to accommodate football. Saturday home matches against New Mexico State (Oct. 11) — easily the most anticipated of the WAC regular season — and Fresno State (Oct. 25) will probably move because football is home.

But it's the conflict during the WAC Tournament that has Shoji most mystified, and incensed.

"I think the WAC doesn't care, or doesn't care to work out solutions for volleyball when it's up against football," said Shoji, also upset with the UH administration for not advocating for his sport. "It's 'do' the football schedule and 'so what' about volleyball. There's no logic to having the volleyball tournament conflict with football. I think it's an insult to all our volleyball teams and players. To be relegated to having to play opposite a football game ...

"They've known this for months but failed to consider having Hawai'i (football) play on the road Nov. 22."

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said the same conflict has come up two of the past three years, at NMSU and Nevada.

"When they submitted a bid there was no guarantee there wouldn't be a football conflict," Benson said. "We are addressing it and the two games won't conflict. The football schedule is such a complicated, difficult jigsaw puzzle that to initially block out that date could have resulted in some real challenging scheduling, not just for Hawai'i but other teams it impacted."

Benson added that the conflict "would get fixed" and Tuesday left it up to UH to decide between moving the football game to Sunday or skipping Saturday at the volleyball tournament and extending the tournament to Thursday to Sunday and taking Saturday off.

As of yesterday, UH had still not made a decision.

Shoji believes a four-day volleyball tournament would be a "logistical nightmare" for visiting teams. He also can't understand why the WAC can't put its football schedule together earlier — "almost every other conference has schedules out a few years ahead," Shoji said — and allow volleyball to work around it.

He has an ally in NMSU coach Mike Jordan. "It's disappointing," Jordan said. "The WAC needs to give a little more priority to this conference tournament of ours. I hope they take a good hard look at it."

Both volleyball coaches suggested moving football to the afternoon. Shoji was told it would hurt attendance too much.

MATCHES DOWNSIZE

Scheduling isn't all that has Shoji unhappy as he heads into his spring training season Monday. The NCAA approved several rules changes that will be implemented in the fall. The most notable is cutting 30-point games — which the new rules now call "sets" — down to 25 points, in line with the international game. The fifth "set" will still be 15 points.

"I was against that as were most of the top schools," Shoji said. "It cheapens our game. We've been playing to 30, the fans are used to 30. The sport is healthy. I don't think anybody thinks the matches are too long and now, possibly, people could think they are too short."

Other changes include decreasing substitutions from 15 to 12 per set, "to maintain the previous ratio," and implementing a new approach toward ballhandling, particularly on second contact. Shoji defines that as allowing a lift while still whistling a double-hit. He agrees with both changes, mostly because they will keep the game moving.

The Rainbow Wahine's spring workouts will again include competitive matches, but this year three teams are coming in to play two "mini tournaments." Nittaidai and Cal State Northridge play Hawai'i March 18. UH, Northridge and St. Mary's, which features a roster full of Hawai'i players, play March 21.

Shoji said his team's focus will be to speed up the offense and work on different alignments. Nickie Thomas (knee) and Jayme Lee (shoulder) have not been cleared to play yet.

NOTES

Rainbows Jamie Houston and Aneli Cubi-Otineru, and former UH-Hilo player Kehealani Silva participated in the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team open tryouts last month. They were among 114 athletes looking for a place in the national, Olympic and A2 programs. They expect to hear from the national program next week.

Punahou graduates Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger are featured in a new promotional video distributed by the U.S. Olympic Committee entitled "Mark Your Calendar." The video features interviews with top U.S. Olympic hopefuls and was created to commemorate the Chinese New Year and six-month countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Lambert and Metzger are the third-ranked U.S. men's beach volleyball team on the FIVB world rankings. The top two U.S. teams by July 1 will qualify for the Olympics.

Dave Shoji's brother Tom Shoji has been hired to coach Willamette, an NCAA Division III team in Salem, Ore. Tom previously coached New Mexico State, Indiana and Southern Colorado.

Fresno State named former Nevada volleyball player Lauren Netherby-Sewell as its new head coach, replacing Ruben Nieves. Netherby-Sewell was 43-19 as Hofstra's head coach and earned honorable mention for 2006 National Coach of the Year.

Sophomore setter Rachel Holloway, a two-time All-American, left Nebraska after last semester to transfer to a school closer to her Tennessee home. In a school release, Holloway said she was quitting competitive volleyball to pursue other priorities in her life.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.