With all Hawai'i and Nebraska had going for them last season, volleyball makeovers hardly seemed in order. Both burst to the top of the rankings with shocking performances from a bunch of young players. Both had championship dreams burst in gut-wrenching regional losses.

These should have been the easiest teams in the country to scout this season. Both won 30 matches last year and returned lineups — in the case of Hawai'i an entire roster — almost intact.

Instead, as the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine prepare to open against the top-ranked Cornhuskers in tomorrow's AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase at Omaha, Neb., they are teams in transition. Or at least evaluation.

Nebraska lost just one senior, who didn't start, but 40 percent of its roster is new. Coach John Cook is apparently committed to starting with a new two-setter system and is waffling between starters at two other positions.

"You could just go status quo and roll it out and go with what you've got, or you can look and see if there's something you can do better," Cook says. "Our team changed a lot because we have five new players and they are all talented.

"So ... it's been interesting. We're looking at NACWAA to see who is going to compete. It will be a big-time atmosphere. It is really going to determine where we're at and where our lineup will be by November."

By then, Tracy Stalls should be healthy. Her slow progress from offseason knee surgery has complicated plans, along with an abundance of talent. Cook says Stalls won't play this week.

With Stalls and two-time All-American Melissa Elmer in the middle last year, the 'Huskers led the country in blocking for the fourth time in five years. That kind of intimidation, along with 6-foot-5 hitter Sarah Pavan, last season's national freshman of the year at 4 1/2 kills a game, helped the 'Huskers get within three points of the final four.

UH coach Dave Shoji will also be evaluating talent, in front of what is expected to be 9,000 mostly red-clad fans at the Qwest Center.

He was planning only a minor makeover from last season's precocious 30-1 team. Sophomore Tara Hittle would swap positions with senior Susie Boogaard. With Hittle on the left side, Shoji hoped for more "wow-power" offensively and enhanced ballhandling, while Boogaard would provide more maturity and a better block on the right.

Then Hittle sprained her ankle. That quickly brought Oregon transfer Sarah Mason into the mix. A "minor" swap has taken on a whole new look.

Shoji's hope is that it is a better look, now and when Hittle is well enough to make an impact — ideally next week.

"I'm hoping that everybody is better than last year," he says. "We're more physical and more experienced, so the change may be subtle, but that's what I'm looking for — improvement."

Both coaches believe this week is the time to take a look. Regionals are now pre-determined so it's not as if a loss will cost a team time at home in December. In fact, Hawai'i is the only team in Omaha not hosting a regional this year.

Expect lots of substitutions, and a constant influx of talent. UH and Nebraska, along with third-ranked Stanford and fifth-ranked Penn State, who play in tomorrow's first match, have won half the NCAA's 24 volleyball championships. The faces change, but the results remain remarkably successful.

This week, coaches are searching for seven players that click, while trying to keep everyone happy. The exceedingly liberal substitution rules get more players in, but can cause more coaches' headaches. Cook's 6-2 system (six hitters, two setters) is a current case in point.

"The advantages are you have three hitters every rotation," he says. "The disadvantage is you have two setters the hitters have to get used to. Another advantage is that you have more kids playing in the 6-2. The other disadvantage is that more kids are playing."

According to Shoji, more of Nebraska's "kids" are big. The 'Huskers' size is his biggest worry tomorrow. Hawai'i's Kanoe Kamana'o, an All-American setter with the rare ability to make everyone around her profoundly better — even this early in the season — has Cook's attention.

Shoji hopes his little setter, and a return of last year's logic-defying brilliance, will be enough to bring down the big 'Huskers.

"We're going to have to play smart," Shoji says. "Hit around the block and there are some players we just can't challenge. We have to pick our spots. They are big everywhere."

The biggest thing going for his team is its infinite confidence in itself.

"There will be a lot of energy on that court," he says. "They've waited a long time. I hope they don't over-amp and try too hard and lose sight of our skills. Sometimes that happens when you are so anxious. Everybody is really, really looking forward to playing."

NOTES

These will be the first volleyball matches at 2-year-old Qwest Center, $292 million arena/convention center that will host an NCAA Regional in December and next year's final four.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.