Ever ponder what it might have looked like if that slingshot blast by David had just stunned Goliath?

Well, just maybe, it would have been something akin to last night's NCAA Women's Volleyball semifinal match in which the colossus that is Penn State was initially shocked by the University of Hawai'i but roared back to win in four sets, 23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18.

A hulking superiority on the block by Penn State made all the difference over the long haul for the two-time defending national champions, who won their NCAA volleyball-record 101st consecutive match to advance to tomorrow's national championship final against Texas.

The Rainbow Wahine's 28-match win streak and, in the process, their brilliant 32-3 season, ended, but not before UH rattled the giant of NCAA women's volleyball and opened the eyes of a crowd of 10,246 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., and a national cable audience.

In the end, the towering height of the 37-0 Nittany Lions, who enjoyed as much as a six-inch advantage in some of the key matchups, was more than the Rainbow Wahine could overcome, try as they might.

UH was out-blocked 15-0, a number as resounding as the sound of some of the shots that 6-foot-5 inch Blair Brown and 6-foot-3 Arielle Wilson rejected in blocking 13 UH shots between them.

The Rainbow Wahine defense held the nation's best hitting team (.394) to a mere .277 percentage, the Nittany Lions' worst figure of the season. But because UH's offense could only manage .138, it wasn't enough to turn the considerable tide.

The Rainbow Wahine, a No. 12 seed, played with the kind of spirit and determination that might have gotten them through most any other match. But against the dynasty that is Penn State, which is one victory away from an unprecedented third consecutive national title, the Rainbow Wahine needed perfection. And height.

A UH team that had ventured 4,696 miles and endured an NCAA gauntlet, showed up hoping to shock the volleyball world. The Rainbow Wahine at least set it a twitter while staggering Penn State with a 5-0 run to bolt from a 19-17 deficit on the way to taking the first set, 25-23.

It was only the sixth set the Nittany Lions had lost this year and just the 16th in three seasons.

And it was the beginning of the end for the Rainbow Wahine who had no answer for the beast that it stirred.