Leave it to the high-tech Silicon Valley school to program a volleyball wake-up call.

San Jose State's relentless first game woke the sleeping Western Athletic Conference giant last night, pulling 15th-ranked Hawai'i to a 31-33, 30-27, 30-18, 30-24 win.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,317 saw the Rainbow Wahine (17-5) move back into a first-place tie with 23rd-ranked New Mexico State at 9-1. Hawai'i and the Aggies, who ended UH's eight-year WAC winning streak two weeks ago, play Nov. 12 in the 'Bows' final regular-season home match.

San Jose State (14-10, 5-6 WAC) worked to make that match matter less last night. The Rainbows refused to let it happen.

After letting the first game get away against SJSU, which might have played its best volleyball, Hawai'i began to drop the hammer in Game 2 and pounded the Spartans in the third and much of the fourth.

"They came out fired up and ready to play," said sophomore Jamie Houston, who finished with UH's first 20-20 match (24 kills, 23 digs) since Susie Boogaard in 2004.

And after Game 1?

"We got fired up and ready to play," Houston added with a grin.

San Jose State got Hawai'i's attention after 15 ties when it moved to a 24-20 advantage in Game 1. The Rainbows tied it at 25 when Jayme Lee served three straight.

There would be six more ties, and an entire game's worth of digs, over the final few minutes. Ultimately, the Spartans were left standing, winning their first game in Hawai'i since 1999. Sarah Christensen erased two game points and UH went down when it committed a net violation, missed a serve and hit out twice the final five points.

Niki Clement, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, carved up the UH block for seven first-game kills. She was a perfect complement for Christensen and Jennifer Senftleben, the Spartans' big gun, who had six kills apiece.

In contrast, the Hawai'i outside hitters combined to hit .081. SJSU also won the ballhandling battle, salvaging 32 digs in the game, with Jessie Shull getting 11.

"It was very frustrating," Houston said. "It felt like we worked hard enough for the ball to fall but they were just everywhere."

The Spartans' defense never let up, but the rhythm of the match changed dramatically after that. Houston and Sarah Mason began to connect with Kanoe Kamana'o, who chased fewer bad passes and put up better sets.

"The forgotten thing here is Kanoe," said coach Dave Shoji. "She's been really steady. She's given our outsides a pretty good chance to score. It's not that easy for her, having to come way off the net, make something out of nothing. We even overlook how good she is and how hard she's working."

The 'Bow block also started reaching out and touching everything. Balls that got by were vacuumed up by libero Lee (25 digs), Houston and the rest of the 'Bows.

Clement and Senftleben hit .116 the final three games. Mason doubled her career high with four solo stuffs. Lee was a dig off her career high. In this homestand, the 'Bows averaged more than 20 digs a game — five more than usual.

"It's our block," Lee said. "When our block is solid it's so easy because then the hitter pretty much only has one option — either the line, which we have covered, or cross-court, which we have covered with two diggers."

The Rainbow Wahine did not sound bothered by the first-game loss. Shoji had concerns. He still calls his team a "work in progress" with a penchant for the "unpredictable" — good and bad. But he believes they are maturing.

"They are not going to panic," he said. "I think they know they have enough firepower and game to come back and win."

UH plays at Nevada Thursday, then moves on to Logan for a Saturday match at Utah State.

NOTES

UH senior Kanoe Kamana'o is four assists short of the WAC record of 5,873, set by Colorado State's Analisa Saylor. Kamana'o, who became the Rainbow Wahine career leader as a junior, needs 6,651 to break the NCAA record.

Hawai'i is 15th in the first ratings percentage index released by the NCAA. It covers matches through Oct. 22. Nebraska is also rated the same as its Top-25 ranking — No. 1. It is followed by UCLA, Penn State, Minnesota and Stanford. New Mexico State, which shares first place in the WAC with UH, is 27th in the RPI. The RPI is used to select and place NCAA Tournament teams. The Rainbow Wahine will host an NCAA Regional this year.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.