Ninth-ranked Hawai'i finally met a Western Athletic Conference volleyball team it couldn't sweep last night. The Rainbow Wahine held off Utah State, 31-29, 32-34, 24-30, 30-24, 15-7, at Smith Spectrum in Logan.

It took 2 1/2 hours for the 'Bows (19-6, 13-0 WAC) to clinch their 10th consecutive WAC regular-season title. They will be seeded No. 1 when the WAC Tournament starts Nov. 24 in Reno.

"Utah State played extremely well," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "I don't think we played a poor match. We didn't block well early, but we hit for a good percentage (.240) and played very spirited."

Sarah Mason, Hawai'i's kill leader, re-injured her ankle midway through Game 1 and did not play again. Trainer Tara Humphreys said she will know more about Mason's status today.

In Mason's absence, the 'Bows rallied from a four-point deficit and held off a USU game point to win their 31st straight game.

The Aggies (17-10, 9-4), one of nine teams Hawai'i swept in its recent streak, didn't let UH get away in Game 2. They broke to a 22-15 lead and weathered a 13-4 UH tear. Hawai'i's Tara Hittle was stuffed on the next two points to make it 28-all. The 'Bows still served for the game three times, unsuccessfully. USU scored the final three on one of Erin Graybill's 18 kills and two UH hitting errors.

Shoji replaced Hittle with Alicia Arnott in Game 3, but the Aggies put together a 15-6 run and out-hit Hawai'i .447 to .182.

The 'Bows finally found their way in Game 4 behind a reinvigorated block, a reinvigorated Hittle and freshman Jamie Houston, who launched nine of her match-high 21 kills in Mason's place. They erased a 9-4 deficit with a 17-7 run and didn't let USU within two again.

Shoji said Hittle had to go back in for UH to win. "She passes six rotations and we can't have her out. It hurts our passing alignment," he said. "She just had to suck it up and put some balls down and block some, which she did."

Hawai'i scored five straight points to take an 8-4 lead in the decisive game. The Aggies never got closer than three again.

The Rainbow Wahine finished with a season-high 21 blocks, with Victoria Prince in on 11.

"We started lining up right and slowed them down in Game 4," Shoji said. "We started touching balls and blocking some, and they started to hit some out."

NOTES

Dave Shoji is coming home today to watch sons Erik (Punahou) and Kawika (Iolani) play in the state high school championship match. He will return to the Mainland tomorrow night. Associate coach Charlie Wade will be recruiting in Northern California tomorrow so the team will practice with assistant coach Kari Ambrozich.

Mid-Pacific setter/hitter Dani Mafua and Amber Kaufman, a 6-foot middle from San Jose, yesterday signed letters of intent to play for Hawai'i in the fall. Both had committed verbally months ago. Shoji also said Elise Duggins, whose sister Lauren was an All-American for UH, has asked about transferring to Manoa. She was a defensive specialist for Long Beach State last year but is not on this year's roster.

Shoji is envisioning Mafua as a setter, in the mold of Hawai'i All-Americans Kanoe Kamana'o and Joyce Ka'apuni.

"Athletically she is very, very good," Shoji says. "And she's a real volleyball player — she can hit, block and set. I think she has a lot of potential and she's a little taller than Kanoe."

Kaufman is also a high jumper who has cleared 6 feet. Shoji compares her to Lauren Duggins and Prince because of her quickness, but says Kaufman reaches higher: "She's got her head and shoulders above the net when she hits."

The Rainbows do not have any more scholarships unless Jamie Houston decides to play basketball, which is a good possibility, according to Shoji.