As conference openers go, Brigham Young-Hawai'i's 25-22, 41-39, 24-26, 25-12 victory over defending PacWest champion Hawai'i-Hilo on Friday had all the tension and drama of a playoff final.

With every major player returning from a squad that went undefeated in conference play last year, the Vulcans were the prohibitive preseason pick to repeat this season.

Yet, as Vulcans head coach Bruce Atkinson has said repeatedly, the Seasiders, who also achieved an undefeated conference season in 2006, are not to be taken lightly.

The match was closely contested from the start.

In the first set, the two teams tied 13 times before BYUH pulled away, scoring four of the last five points for the 25-22 win.

The Vulcans grabbed an early 6-2 lead in the second set, but the Seasiders rallied to tie it at 7-7. UH-Hilo asserted itself again to take a 10-7 lead, and again BYUH responded, tying the set at 12-12.

Unable to grab more than a two-point lead from that point, the Seasiders and Vulcans combined for 17 set points before BYUH finally won off a pair of UH-Hilo errors.

"That one was epic, monumental," said BYUH head coach Wilfred Navalta.

The Seasiders held a 24-23 advantage in the third game, but the Vulcans avoided the sweep by scoring the final three points of the set.

Alas, Set 4 proved to be anticlimactic, with the Seasiders dominating for a 25-12 victory while holding Vulcans hitters to a .000 attack percentage.

"We were fortunate, especially playing the conference champion," Navalta said. "That match truly could have gone either way."

Navalta wouldn't understate the significance of the match-up between the conference's preseason No. 1 and No. 2.

"We knew Hilo was the favorite, and rightly so," he said. "I just felt good about the way my team played. I knew they would be scrappy and give all of their effort and heart."

The Seasiders defeated Chaminade the next night to move to 2-0 in PacWest play.

With each of the four Hawai'i teams in the conference substantially upgrading its talent and athleticism in the offseason, Navalta said it's unlikely this year's conference champ will go undefeated.

Navalta said the biggest difference in this year's squad is the improved play in the backcourt, where freshman Melanie Manutai, sophomore Keisha Moeai, and current PacWest player of the week Losaline Faka'osi have all demonstrated solid serve reception, ball handling and passing skills.

The team also relies heavily on the experience of senior all-conference setter Leeann Mapu and senior middle blocker Faylynn Merrick, who returned from a severe ankle sprain just in time to help the Seasiders defeat the Vulcans.

With the two conference wins, the Seasiders improved to 5-5 overall, with all five nonconference losses coming against ranked teams from California.

"It's definitely a good start," Navalta said. "But with the conference the way it is this season, maintaining it will be tough."

LETRO HONORED

UH-Hilo senior forward Adele Letro earned PacWest player of the week honors after posting a goal and an assist to help the Vulcans defeat Academy of Art, 4-0, last week Tuesday.

After a slow, scoreless first half, the Vulcans' Jessica Snell scored from the middle of the penalty box at 46:43.

Letro added a goal at 56:07 to give UH-Hilo a 2-0 advantage. Chelsea Gomez scored on a penalty kick at 76:10, and Leandro assisted on the final goal by Megan Pachecano at 80:43.

KUSSLER MAKES PRO BID

Former Silverswords standout Stewart Kussler, a member of the 2006 and 2008 PacWest champion basketball teams, got an invitation-only tryout with the L.A. D-Fenders, the designated Los Angeles Lakers D-League team.

Kussler worked out for the team this weekend.

"I was nervous to start with because I didn't know what to expect," Kussler said. "Once we got going, I calmed down and thought I played well. It was a great opportunity for me."

Kussler, a two-time all-conference selection, averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for Chaminade last year.

The 6-foot-5 forward displayed his potential at last year's EA Sports Maui Invitational, notching 21 points and seven rebounds against DePaul, 23 and 7 against Oklahoma, and 19 and 4 in a victory over Princeton.