On the brink of losing to yet another unranked volleyball team, the University of Hawai'i found a will and a way last night, overcoming Wichita State, 27-30, 28-30, 30-22, 30-19, 15-12, in the 13th annual Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge.

The 16th-ranked Rainbow Wahine (5-3) can clinch their 11th Challenge championship tonight by beating Santa Clara. The 19th-ranked Broncos (6-2) swept Eastern Washington, 30-27, 30-16, 30-24, in last night's opener.

Then, with 4,205 watching at Stan Sheriff Center, Hawai'i rallied for a remarkable win, made more dramatic by its early-season struggles. It was the first time in 51 weeks the Rainbows came back to win after losing the first two games. It happened against Cal Poly last year, with their season also in danger of taking a dive.

"I thought this was huge," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "It will be bigger if we win tomorrow. We've got to beat Santa Clara for this to be meaningful, but it's a step in the right direction, and it's what you want to see your players do — compete hard."

Hawai'i could not make a dent in Wichita State's huge attack for two games. The Shockers (5-3) pounded the gritty but overmatched 'Bows. They had all starters back from last year's 25-7 team, plus transfer Emily Stockman (15 kills), who was UH captain Tara Hittle's high school teammate.

Hawai'i's early offense consisted mostly of left-side hitters Jamie Houston (27 kills) and Aneli Cubi-Otineru (a career-high 22), who ripped through blockers ranging up to 6 foot 5 all night.

The Rainbows hung tough, but appeared to be on the way to losing to an unranked team for the third time this year. Coming into the season, that had happened just seven times since the national poll began 25 years ago.

WSU outscored Hawai'i 12-6 in the final minutes of Game 1, when its huge hitters began finding the range.

They didn't cool off, hitting .421 to win Game 2. The 'Bows, down as much as 22-16, came back to tie it at 27. WSU called its final timeout, and scored three of the final four points, with Sara Lungren dropping her 10th kill for game point.

But Shoji saw something in his team he hadn't seen in earlier losses.

"I saw signs of us playing better in Game 2," he said. "We didn't play bad at all. We missed some defensive assignments, and we just can't do that when we're even with a team. We lost Game 1 and we were down 24-20 (in Game 2), and I didn't see the downward look. It was like, 'Come on, we can do this.' "

The Rainbows did, coming back harder in Game 3 with the only change being Amber Kaufman starting in the middle.

"Mike (associate coach Sealy) said we got that look in our eye toward the end of the second game," said Kaufman, who came in on the right side to help UH beat Colorado State this year.

UH opened a 13-7 advantage, allowing just three WSU kills. With Kaufman and Juliana Sanders providing a quick threat, the 'Bows began to balance their offense and fed off a defense that came up with 21 digs and several extended rallies.

"The firepower on the left side took its toll," WSU coach Chris Lamb said. "I watched their left sides be a little more erratic last night than they were tonight. These are the outsides everyone has been talking about."

The Rainbow Wahine never let the Shockers, whose hitting fell to .163, get within three.

A major part of the 'Bows' minor miracle was a switch in serving strategy. They began to serve short, disrupting Wichita State's attacking lanes. Hawai'i had one ace — one more than WSU, which missed 19 serves — but the shallow serves and the Shockers' fatigue put the brakes on its five-headed attack.

"Most of their passes were really good passes but they just weren't used to running the routes from a different angle," Shoji said. "They were bunched up, couldn't take their full approach, had to worry about who would take the pass. It created a little doubt on the left side."

The 'Bows kept blasting in Game 4, breaking to a 13-3 lead with Hittle serving eight straight. At 24-12, the Shockers started subbing out their tired starters, including their only seniors — Lungren and setter Abby Harsh — to rest them for Game 5.

Hawai'i would finish what it finally found a way to start. It never trailed in the final game, breaking to an 8-4 lead.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.