If Hawai'i doesn't host an NCAA Championship match — and that has only happened once since 2003 — the Rainbow Wahine will celebrate Senior Night a week into November this season. Their 2009 fall schedule was released yesterday, after two changes to accommodate the football schedule (released late by the conference) and the WAC Tournament was formally moved to Las Vegas.

Eight of Hawai'i's 2009 volleyball opponents played in the NCAA Championship last fall. UCLA, Western Michigan, Texas, California and Stanford reached regionals, with the Longhorns and Cardinal getting to the final four. The 'Bows play them all the first month of the season.

"Our schedule turned out to be very difficult," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "I started talking to teams two years ago. I scheduled St. Louis and they ended up beating Stanford last year. I didn't know how good Cal was until I saw them this past year and they are obviously very, very good. Stanford is always going to be very, very good. Texas, I think, will be a final four team next fall and UCLA is always good."

Shoji's take on his strength of schedule: "We better be pretty good to start the season."

UH opens with the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational, taking on Western Michigan Aug. 28. The 22nd annual Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic is the following weekend, while 2008 national finalist Stanford is already the prohibitive favorite for The Honolulu Advertiser Challenge, Sept. 10 to 12.

The WAC season starts Sept. 24, after a series with Pepperdine. It ends with three matches at Boise State, Idaho and Utah State. The final regular-season home match is Nov. 8.

Brigham Young-Hawai'i is on the schedule (Oct. 23) for the first time since UH needed five games to hold the Seasiders off in 1998.

Hawai'i lost to Stanford in a regional final last year. It finished the year 31-4 and ranked seventh. The 'Bows have gone 20 years without winning a national title, after capturing their fourth in 1987. If they can do it this year, with the president a Punahou graduate, there might be a trip to the White House in it for them.

"I would like to explore that possibility," Shoji said. "I don't see why we wouldn't get invited. It would be kind of a neat thing."

NOTES

Tickets for the 2009 NCAA Championship are on sale from the Tampa Bay Local Organizing Committee. The final four is in Florida for the first time and will be played Dec. 17 and 19 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Fans can purchase all-session tickets for $60 at http://www.sptimesforum.com or by calling 813-301-2500.

Punahou graduate Erik Shoji, son of UH head coach Dave Shoji, made ESPN's Plays of the Day earlier this month for a "kick assist" to Stanford teammate Brad Lawson (an 'Iolani grad). Shoji dug the second ball in the backcourt with his foot and set Lawson on the left antenna for a kill.