In the debate about how far they have come and how far they have to go in yet another unpredictable volleyball season, the 12th-ranked Rainbow Wahine stand squarely in the middle. Ask what they would give themselves for a midterm grade and they answer with striking consistency.

UH coach Dave Shoji: "B-minus. We were at C-minus to start the road trip and maybe lower before that. It was about D-minus after Oregon State."

Freshman Dani Mafua: "C-plus, B-minus on a good day."

Junior Jamie Houston: "B-minus. We've got a long way to go still, a long way mentally and physically. We've got to play at a higher level."

After a rare 10-day break midseason, they get their first chance tonight in a Western Athletic Conference match against Nevada. Hawai'i also plays Fresno State Sunday.

The Pack beat the 'Bows 15 years ago, in the teams' first meeting. The loss ultimately kept UH out of the NCAA Tournament for the first, and still only time. As recently as three years ago, Nevada took Hawai'i to five twice. But the Rainbow Wahine have won the last 26 meetings and swept four of the last five matches.

Both teams are coming off road trips that inspired optimism. Nevada swept two matches for the first time since joining the WAC in 2000. The Wolf Pack leads the conference in aces (1.73) and their most imposing attackers — seniors Teal Ericson and Karly Sipherd — are too close for Shoji's comfort.

"They know us very well and know our system," he said. "Ericson and Sipherd are quality players. I hope they don't get hot."

His team won its first three away from home, including a memorable match at New Mexico State that finished 23-21 in the fifth. UH fought off six match points, and might have found something it wasn't sure existed.

"We came together," Aneli Cubi-Otineru said. "We were together when the season started, but at New Mexico we learned to trust each other more."

Hawai'i is a whole lot different than the team that started the season 3-3, with crushing losses to Oregon State and UCLA. It has won its last eight and 16 straight against WAC opponents — still 116 off the NCAA-record streak that ended in Las Cruces last year.

The Rainbow Wahine have cut down the mistakes that tormented them early and solidified their ballhandling. Shoji points to passing as the biggest improvement, but his defense has also dug itself out of an early hole. The 'Bows broke a school record with 110 digs at NMSU and their team average is up to 16.76 — above where they finished the past two years and closer to the 17-plus they were getting in the final-four era of 2001 to 2004.

Freshman libero Liz Ka'aihue already has two matches with 30-plus digs. In UH history, only two-time national player of the year Teee Williams has more.

Houston is the most vivid example of Hawai'i's more efficient offense. She averaged more than six kills and hit .287 away from home, including a career-high .605 at San Jose State.

That kind of constant concentration is what Hawai'i is searching for now. Shoji believes his team's greatest strides have come in the area of "mental toughness" and Mafua describes it as "better energy." Houston defines it simply as focus — the kind Hawai'i needs to get back to the regionals and have a realistic shot at a fifth national title.

"We just have to focus the whole time, no matter what is going on," Houston said. "It starts with practice. No matter how things are going, good or bad, we've just got to focus."

NOTES

Freshman Stephanie Ferrell has not been cleared to play this week after suffering an ankle injury. She was at practice Wednesday with crutches and a walking boot. The injury leaves open the possibility that Ferrell, who has one kill and one dig in four brief appearances, could still redshirt this season.

Hawai'i moved into a share of 14th in the sixth week of the Molten/Volleyball Magazine Women's College Top 20 Media Poll. The Rainbow Wahine, who share 14th with San Diego, were 16th last week. Nebraska and Stanford remain 1-2, with Penn State moving ahead of USC in third after the Trojans fell to the Cardinal.

Brittany Hewitt, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Eagle, Idaho, who has verbally committed to Hawai'i, is included on http://prepvolleyball.com's 2008 Senior Aces list. Hewitt is one of 150 athletes who just missed being among the Top 100. Kamehameha's Tatiana Santiago, who is headed for Nevada, and Jordan Meredith, heading for Boston College according to the Website, are also on the list.

Former UH men's All-American Jason Olive is holding his annual Jayo Invitational tomorrow at Will Rogers Beach in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The tournament, which mixes pro beach players, amateurs and celebrities, will benefit Athletes Against Autism. Players include Rene Russo, Amber Valetta, David Arquette, Dennis Rodman, and gold medalists Kerri Walsh, Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana.

Season-ticket holders can get two tickets for the price of one (six maximum) for both matches. They can purchase tickets in advance at the box office or online at HawaiiAth letics.com, or on match day.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.