If Hawai'i did not truly believe it could lose to a Western Athletic Conference volleyball opponent, New Mexico State beat that out of the Rainbow Wahine during Sunday's sweep. The last team to do that is the 'Bows' opponent tonight.

The ninth-ranked Rainbow Wahine (13-3, 6-1 WAC) face Utah State (6-12, 4-3) in Logan at 3 p.m. HST. Last time the teams played, in November, the Aggies beat the 'Bows in three, becoming the first WAC team to win in Hawai'i and sweep UH.

That fame lasted until last Sunday, when NMSU lulled Hawai'i to sleep by falling into 3-7 and 1-8 deficits in the first two sets, then blew by it in a stunning turnaround from the teams' meeting two weeks earlier in Las Cruces. The Aggies stuffed Hawai'i into hitting .023, the lowest percentage in its 35-year history.

New Mexico State's Amber Simpson, Kristal Torres and Lindsey Yon burned the 'Bows while their teammates provided just enough help, and no Rainbow Wahine ever found a rhythm. No UH starter hit .100 and left sides Aneli Cubi-Otineru and Kanani Herring had more errors than kills.

More proof of the Rainbows' ballhandling woes came from the middle, where Amber Kaufman and Nickie Thomas hit a combined .050 with just five kills. When Hawai'i swept the Aggies, they had 16 kills and hit .438.

"There was not really one phase of the game we were very proficient at," said UH coach Dave Shoji. "We had breakdowns in all phases."

And the Aggies? "They played immaculately," Shoji said. "After watching the film it was clear they knew what we were doing. They disregarded our middles when the ball was a few feet off the net and their defense was just ready to dig and block. It was tough for our players to put the ball down."

Too tough, and now Hawai'i shares first place with NMSU going into its second road trip, which concludes Saturday at Nevada (8-9, 3-4) — a team that has won its last three. Shoji calls Utah State the WAC opponent his team matches up with worst. USU lost its first eight this season, but broke the slump by upsetting then-No. 15 Purdue and is now fourth in the WAC.

"We just have to take it match by match now," said Shoji, who believes Sunday's loss makes this WAC Tournament (Nov. 20 to 23 in Hawai'i) more critical than most. "Utah State beat us last year. It runs a very fast attack and they attack us better than anybody in the league."

Shoji also is not sure what to expect of Herring, who has missed one match and not played/been ineffective in front row the last four. Before she sprained her ankle Sept. 22, the remarkably versatile freshman was one of Hawai'i's most dynamic and consistent attackers.

His most compelling worry is his team's mental health, and his players share the concern.

"Most of the thing with this team is from the neck up," senior Jessica Keefe said. "It has everything to do with confidence in yourself and your teammates, your aggression. You just have to show up to play. If that happens, we're all physically fit, perfectly capable of doing what we have to do. On any given day it's just about is your head there or not?"

The Rainbow Wahine promise the impact of Sunday's stunning reversal won't be forgotten.

"We will not take our opposition for granted," added UH senior Nickie Thomas. "It was definitely a humbling experience. We were so excited that we were ranked seventh and sixth, we were going up and all, and now we're just a little ... more grounded. I think we'll have a lot more dedication, a lot more level heads now.

"It will be good for us, a wakeup call. Like (associate coach) Mike (Sealy) said after the game, now, instead of just cruising through the WAC we're going to have to work hard. I think it will be really good for us."

It was definitely good for the WAC.