LAS CRUCES, N.M. — It might not have mattered, but Western Athletic Conference volleyball teams usually get more than 3 hours to prepare for getting hammered by Hawai'i.

The 11th-ranked Rainbow Wahine, buoyed by Boise State's quick turnaround time, pounded the Broncos into the Pan American Center floor yesterday, 30-13, 30-15, 30-22, in the first round of the WAC Tournament.

Hawai'i (22-5) was coming off its first WAC home loss in 12 years of membership, Sunday to Utah State. It quickly blew away any worry about residual effects, and Boise State, by winning nine of the first 10 points. UH would charge on to its most one-sided win of the season, with only the third game resembling a contest.

It did not help the eighth-seeded Broncos' cause that they were forced to come back to the court 3 hours after holding off Louisiana Tech in a five-game play-in match.

"It was obvious that Boise didn't have much energy to start that match," said UH coach Dave Shoji. "I was really feeling for that team because they had a hard match at 9:30 and had to come back so early. But I thought our team started well and we were pretty focused for most of the match."

The Broncos ate — fast food, no doubt — and showered and showed up for an afternoon mauling before about 150. It lasted 80 minutes and lost its drama after about 80 seconds.

"We battled and left it on the court," BSU coach Robin Davis said. "We did not execute well."

By the time the top-seeded 'Bows had built an 8-1 advantage, every one of their attackers had a kill. The Broncos (6-23) never got that far. They hit negative .018 for the match, their legs too tired to battle the UH block and their talent too limited to truly challenge.

That should change today (2 p.m. HST) when Hawai'i faces fourth-seeded Nevada, a 30-22, 31-33, 30-16, 30-28 winner over fifth-seeded Idaho, whose season ended at 13-15. The Wolf Pack (16-10) has lost to UH in four of the last five WAC Tournaments, twice in the final.

In tonight's other semifinal, 13th-ranked and second-seeded New Mexico State will face sixth-seeded San Jose State.

The difference in the Hawai'i and Boise programs was as obvious after the match as before.

The Rainbows walked into the post-match press conference with pizza boxes, just another day at the volleyball office. Davis brought in lone senior starter Tiffany Starring, who had six of her team's 18 kills (UH had 20 kills in the first game). The rest of the team followed in a touching tribute to Starring.

"Our season has been up and down, obviously," Starring said. "But as a team, we know when things are down and we really need to get each other together. ... We have a very close team. Our chemistry has held us together this season. We just love being around each other."

Aneli Cubi-Otineru had 17 kills to lead the UH attack and hit a career-best .517. "I think it was just more focus," Otineru said. "Working on perfection and just playing smart. And everybody else pushing me."

Juliana Sanders added 10 kills on .450 hitting and reserve middle blocker Kari Gregory was in on half of Hawai'i's eight stuffs. The only scary statistic for the 'Bows was WAC Player of the Year Jamie Houston's nine hitting errors.

Houston softened that blow with 14 kills and a match-high 18 digs, but after her poor performance Sunday it got Shoji's attention, if not his team's.

"Every player has bad games," said UH captain Tara Hittle. "Just because she's had two in a row it doesn't change the player she is. I'm really confident she's going to be fine. ... If the rest of us continue to do our part and stay strong it will relieve some of the pressure off her, too."

Hawai'i has won the last nine WAC titles, and its last 22 tournament matches. The winner of tomorrow's championship gets the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

'BOWS RECRUITING

Rainbow Wahine head coach Dave Shoji announced the signings of Kanani Herring and Brittany Hewitt to national letters of intent yesterday.

Herring, a 5-10 outside hitter from 'Ewa Beach, played for three-time state champion Kamehameha. She was the state player of the year in 2005 and '06, earning national recognition as the No. 5 senior in the country on the www.prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list.

Hewitt, a 6-4 middle hitter from Eagle, Idaho, led her Eagle High School team to Idaho state championships in 2006 and '07, ranking 29th in this week's www.prepvolleyball.com high school rankings. She earned all-state honors in 2006 and was on the www.prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list.

NOTES

Nevada got 43 kills from all-WAC seniors Karly Sipherd (22) and Teal Ericson (21) yesterday. The Wolf Pack tweaked its lineup the week it last played Hawai'i, moving libero Allison Hernandez to the front row and inserting senior Dana Henry at libero. Hernandez had 11 kills and 15 digs yesterday and Henry added 23 digs.

"Allison provides us a little more offense on that right side. That is the No. 1 reason," Nevada coach Devin Scruggs said. "The second reason is Dana Henry is probably our best digger. If you give her the role of get out there and dig every ball she will do it."

Shoji remembers Hernandez hurting his team in her one game in the front row the last time the teams met. He is more focused on Ericson and Sipherd though.

"They have two outstanding seniors in Ericson and Sipherd," he said. "When you have seniors that are facing elimination like they are, I think you'll see a well-played match on their part. That's what concerns me. I think they'll play their best match of the year."

After Hawai'i hosts the WAC Tournament next year, the conference plans to rotate the event to all the schools instead of taking bids as it does now.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.