New teams, new coaches, new travel complications and new hope of knocking off the Rainbow Wahine infuse Western Athletic Conference volleyball. Check back over Thanksgiving in Reno, Nev., to see if anything has truly changed.

Ninth-ranked Hawai'i, which opens conference play tonight against Boise State, is picked by the other eight WAC coaches to continue its seven-year dominance. The 'Bows have won their last 106 against WAC opposition. Their regular-season streak of 91, which is what the NCAA recognizes, is the longest conference streak in the country since Florida's NCAA record of 145 was snapped last November.

"Of course it would be fun to keep playing great teams all the time," sophomore Tara Hittle said Saturday after second-ranked Washington gave UH its fifth loss to a top-five team. "But in the WAC we're going to get some competition and it's going to really help us with our confidence if we can just start playing together and clicking and flowing. Playing beautiful volleyball. We're definitely capable because we've seen it in little spurts. We need big flows."

It is who shows up directly below UH in the WAC poll that offers intrigue, and gives the 'Bows renewed enthusiasm that improvement is possible the next two months.

Nevada, which took the 'Bows to the limit twice last year, is picked second. The Wolf Pack finally fought through its frustration last week when it outlasted No. 21 Cal for its first win over a ranked opponent since 2002.

Utah State also broke through, making No. 24 UC Santa Barbara its first ranked victim since the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies were picked to finish fifth in the conference, after the other two newbies — Idaho (3) and New Mexico State (4). Those two ended the past two years in the NCAA Tournament.

UH coach Dave Shoji believes all three are "way more competitive than the teams that left."

The Vandals lost three starters, but have all-conference hitter Kati Tikker back and most of the munchkins who helped them lead the Big West in digs last year.

The Aggies of NMSU come into the WAC after streaking through the Sun Belt Conference the past four years. They have won their last 36 conference matches, and 30 matches each of the past three seasons. New Mexico State goes into the conference season leading the WAC in hitting (.281) and aces (2.32).

Coach Mike Jordan calls the WAC "one of the most under-rated conferences going" and cites parity and tough travel as the most relevant reasons. He also knows it is a step up from the Sun Belt.

"There were a few teams in that league where we knew if we played poorly we'd still win," Jordan says. "We can't do that in this conference. Even teams that are struggling are capable of beating you at their place if you don't play well."

Half his starting lineup are underclassmen and the result has been erratic. But the Aggies' athleticism, along with the stability provided by setter Jackie Choi and the surprisingly large impact of sophomore Kim Oguh, has been enough to beat every team but Colorado State.

Utah State has had the Rainbow Wahine's respect since it took them to five last November in Logan. The Aggies did it with a lineup looped together with athletic tape as six players missed a total of 300 games because of illness or injury.

Now USU is healthy and Zuzana Cernianska, its all-Big West hitter from Prague, can again hit. She became Utah State's career kills leader Saturday and leads the WAC with nearly five kills a game. Kahuku graduate Monarisa Ale has started eight matches.

Ruben Nieves entered the turmoil at Fresno State this season as its new coach. It is his first shot at coaching women, after guiding the Stanford men for 11 years, taking them to an NCAA championship in 1997.

He and Jordan are among many in the WAC who believe the 'Bows' record is misleading.

"Nobody has played a tougher schedule and they've had injury problems," Jordan says. "Physically, Hawai'i is a tough matchup for everyone in the conference. I think seven of their players are potential difference-makers.

"And Kanoe (Kamana'o) might be one of the two best setters in the country. ... If you had a draft with all the players in the country, it would be tough not to choose her first."

NOTES

Among the players planning to be in Saturday's 5 p.m. alumnae exhibition are Olympians Bobbie Perry and Heather Bown, All-Americans Karrie Poppinga, Terry Malterre, Nahaku Brown, Lisa Strand-Ma'a and Lauren Duggins, and sisters Hedder and Heidi Ilustre. Captains are Beth McLachlin and Joey Miyashiro.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.