LAS CRUCES, N.M. — All anyone needs to know about this afternoon's Western Athletic Conference volleyball match between seventh-ranked Hawai'i (10-2, 3-0 WAC) and New Mexico State (8-6, 3-0) is that it matters. That means something because so few WAC matches have mattered while the Rainbow Wahine rolled to the last 10 WAC championships.

But, since NMSU coach Mike Jordan brought his Aggies into the WAC in 2005, Hawai'i has had its hands full, particularly in Las Cruces.

The team's four matches here have all gone the full five sets. Three years ago, NMSU drew a Pan American Center record 7,115 fans for Hawai'i, but fell 15-13 in the fifth. Two years ago, with the Pan Am Center under renovation, the Aggies ended the 'Bows' mind-bending, NCAA-record 132-match conference winning streak before 1,500 crazed fans at a high school.

Last year, before 4,361, the teams traded blows for more than 3 hours. The Rainbow Wahine, inspired by 110 digs, finally fought off six match points and outlasted NMSU 23-21 in the fifth. Two months later, it was the 'Bows by 15-11 in the WAC Championship.

All that, and the Aggies' ability to work their way into the rankings and NCAA Tournament and stay, have made Las Cruces one of the country's most surprising volleyball havens. This city of 62,000 that lies 40 miles west of El Paso has embraced the Aggies in large part because of their free-for-alls with Hawai'i — and Jordan, now in his 11th year.

He was a baseball player growing up, but tried volleyball after an injury and then ran a successful club in Northern California with some buddies. This is the only head coaching job he has held aside from Ursuline (Calif.) High School in 1994, but he has captured imaginations in Las Cruces. He just became the second WAC volleyball coach, after Hawai'i's Dave Shoji, to sign a six-figure contract.

"At a place like New Mexico State you have definitely got to maximize and manage all the players and staff," said Kyle Doperalski, the Aggie Sports Network Coordinator. "Everyone in the program has to perform to maximum potential. There is not a whole lot of complacency in that program. Very little. Maybe zero. Mike takes care of business everyday."

On the court, in the community and around the country, people had barely heard of New Mexico State before 2006, but when it went 59-10 the past two years, shocking Hawai'i in the process, national exposure became a reality. Perennial power Texas has come to Las Cruces the past two years and four of the Aggies' losses this season were against Top-20 teams.

They were 16th in the country in attendance last year, averaging 1,785 a match. This year they are 15th, at 1,628, and hope to bolt up after today's showdown, which precedes the football shootout with New Mexico.

"In 2002 and 2003 we started to see an increase in attendance, a little more of a following," Jordan said. "Now there is a lot more of a following. Since we joined the WAC and Hawai'i is a part of the WAC, it's been a really big deal. Hawai'i is a name program. No matter what sport Hawai'i comes in to play, New Mexico State people know Hawai'i has a good athletic tradition. It's exciting for them."

Jordan has not met a person in New Mexico, or Texas for that matter, he won't attempt to win over. He covets his hard-core fans and reaches out relentlessly to those that don't follow volleyball, or sports. He is exceptionally accessible and will speak anywhere, anytime to anyone about NMSU volleyball.

"Mike always says we have a good volleyball environment, but there is no reason it can't be great ...," Doperalski said. "He's always told me he would go anywhere in this community, a coffee shop or anything. If there are four or five people who want to talk Aggie volleyball, he's there.

"He's a very good coach, but his personality is one which allows people to believe they are part of it. I believe I'm part of Aggie volleyball."

He is now one of the most well-known faces in Las Cruces, recognized on the golf course, in restaurants and parking lots.

Jordan said success initially came when "an interesting thing happened" — the improving Aggies moved from the Big West to the weaker Sun Belt and began winning big time. They beat 11th-ranked Santa Barbara in 2003 and have been to the NCAA Tournament almost every year since. Recruits began to take notice and so did fans as NMSU started to market the program and the area grew.

Then the Aggies found their way to the WAC, and immediately found a rival and role model in Hawai'i. Credibility came quickly, though it is still difficult to convince the best recruits to come visit.

"Once we get them here they really like a lot of things they see," Jordan said. "They like the campus, love the home environment. There's a lot to like once they get here. It's a lot prettier than people realize. If you just drive through you think it's a little desert town in the middle of nowhere, but it's a great place with nice people."

And, Jordan can always drop the Hawai'i name, giving him immediate volleyball credibility with players and at least one great road trip a season. He says he recruits with beating the 'Bows in mind, knowing that is the only way to win the WAC and make the rest of the volleyball world notice.

"We have so much respect for Hawai'i and its players and coaches," Jordan said. "We have a lot of good athletes too and we're getting better. It's taking a while this year because we have a lot of new players in the lineup and we've changed some things we do.

"I can still use that underdog card a little — tell them what an upset this would be and let's go make it happen."