Last time there was a Hawai'i volleyball sighting — last month — the Rainbow Wahine were sweeping their way through Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State and San Jose State despite a frenzy of flu-like symptoms, fractures and sprains.

This weekend, the Techsters and Aggies are back, but the health problems are mostly gone.

The sixth-ranked 'Bows play LaTech tonight at 7 in their first match in 11 days. New Mexico State comes to the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday at 5 p.m.

The opponents are at either end of the vast Western Athletic Conference spectrum, with traditionally weak Tech (2-11, 0-5 WAC) transitioning under a new coach and NMSU (10-7, 5-1) still nipping at Hawai'i's heels. The Aggies have swept every WAC opponent with the exception of UH, which swept them in Las Cruces two weeks ago.

"I hope we feel like we're close and we've got work to do," NMSU coach Mike Jordan said that afternoon. "We've just got to get in there and prove it. I think we have a high ceiling; we have a lot of improving to do with some of our players in particular.

"We've just got to be honest. Hawai'i is better than we are right now. The difference is not that great. We can get in the gym and make it closer next time, or maybe come out on top."

The Rainbow Wahine are definitely healthier now. Freshman Kanani Herring, who has had a huge impact on offense and defense, should be back in the front row for the first time in four matches. Her sore ankle, sprained nearly three weeks ago, is "close to 100 percent," according to coach Dave Shoji.

Aneli Cubi-Otineru's nose is still broken, but she is practicing without the protective mask. She and Dani Mafua have both recovered from flu-like symptoms that kept Mafua out at SJSU.

The long mid-season break could not have come at a better time for the 'Bows. "We were going pretty hard before and didn't have much time off," Shoji said. "We were able to take two days off twice, which is almost unheard of this time the season."

Hawai'i (12-2, 5-0) is on an 11-match winning streak and has captured 15 straight sets, dating to the WAC opener. The 10-time defending WAC champion holds its highest ranking in more than three years and leads the country in kills (15.25 per set) and assists (14.17). Its hitting percentage, which plummeted to .240 last season, is now seventh nationally at .293.

Things are going so well that Stephanie Brandt, last year's starting setter, subbed for Mafua in San Jose and collected the team's 15th double-double of the season (six by Herring). Stephanie Ferrell, another reserve, is hitting .321. Middle blockers Nickie Thomas (.408) and Amber Kaufman (.375) lead the WAC in hitting, Mafua is first in assists (11.25) and Kaufman is the queen of aces (0.55).

The Rainbows have drastically improved their depth, ballhandling and outlook.

"They have a great attitude," Shoji said. "Everybody is on the same page as far as how we want to play, who is playing and what people's roles are. The most gratifying thing is that everybody buys into that concept."

That might intimidate Louisiana Tech, whose kill leader was setter Bianca Bin back in Ruston, but not New Mexico State. The Aggies have taken Hawai'i the full five sets in five of the teams' last nine meetings and ended the 'Bows' NCAA-record conference winning streak at 132 two years ago. All but one of NMSU's losses this year have come against Top-25 teams.

Amber Simpson is the school's career block leader, and ranks ninth nationally this season. Krystal Torres recently became its career dig leader, shattering a 19-year-old record. Both were all-WAC selections last season, along with returnees Krista Altermatt and reigning WAC Player of the Week Lindsey Yon.

They can't be happy about what happened two weeks ago. In contrast, the Rainbow Wahine have to resist being too happy about it for too long. The season is still young, and rallying from a 13-18 deficit — as they did in Las Cruces — is extremely rare.

"You don't normally come back from that," Shoji said. "I didn't see much panic. No one was hanging their head at that point, except me maybe. It was good to see everybody still under control.

"That's a good sign. We were like that against Washington and Minnesota. That's how good teams are. It's another plus in our quest to be a good team."

NOTES

Louisiana Tech's new coach is Matt Sonnichsen, who coached against Hawai'i during his eight-year tenure at Tulsa and played against UH while he attended UCLA. When he was previously in the WAC, Sonnichsen gave his players a copy of the lyrics to Hawai'i Pono'i so they could sing with the crowd.