About the only thing tighter than money these days is time. The University of Hawai'i is asking for both tomorrow, when Rainbow Wahine volleyball hosts a spring exhibition match for the eighth straight year at Stan Sheriff Center.

The opponent is Nebraska, No. 3 in last season's final ranking and the only team to take a set off NCAA champion Penn State. The Cornhuskers are down a first-team All-American, with Jordan Larson's eligibility up, and an honorable mention, with Kori Cooper flying back to the Mainland for a funeral.

That erases a .400 hitter (Cooper) and one-third of last season's offense. Nebraska is left "only" with sophomore second-team All-Americans Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller, and a super-sized roster. Even without 6-foot-5 Lindsey Licht, who is injured, the 'Huskers average 6-2 in the front row.

Hawai'i has major gaps as well. Two starting seniors (Nickie Thomas and Tara Hittle) are gone, with a third (Jamie Houston) back as emergency sub. Aneli Cubi-Otineru, an honorable mention All-American last fall, will only play backrow as she continues recovering from January knee surgery. Stephanie Ferrell, projected to take over Houston's terminator slot, is out probably until August after breaking her ankle last week.

That leaves some intriguing and somewhat offbeat reasons the Rainbows would like fans to come watch — and spend their time and money — tomorrow. Here is the team's Top 10 list of why you should pay to watch a volleyball exhibition in March:

10. It's (relatively) cheap: Ticket prices have been cut by more than half, with general admission $7 in the spring. That's $2 less than a movie, UH associate coach Mike Sealy reminds. It is $3 less than Nebraska is charging for its "home" exhibition in three weeks, and that's being played at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, about 400 miles from Lincoln.

9. "You can see how old (coach) Dave (Shoji) is getting," says Cubi-Otineru, who will be a senior in the fall, when Shoji starts his 35th year as coach. Freshman Kanani Danielson adds an insight: "See how there's no white hairs because we are not giving him stress."

8. Weight and see: The players say you will see leaner and meaner Rainbow Wahine. Shoji is still waiting to check the scale.

7. Amber Kaufman has added another All-America honor since her last appearance: The junior middle blocker, who has been training with volleyball this semester, still managed to take sixth in the high jump at last week's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. She was second in the volleyball division, with Texas All-American Destinee Hooker clearing 6-4 to destroy the NCAA record.

6. Danielson is expected to introduce her jump serve: There had to be one skill the third-team All-American didn't master her freshman season.

5. It's your last chance to watch Houston: We're serious this time. The second-team All-American agreed to come out of college retirement because of Ferrell's injury, which left UH with just one healthy hitter (Danielson). That's leads to ...

4. Libero Liz Ka'aihue and setter Stephanie Brandt will hit: They make Danielson look intimidating at 5-10, but will probably be ripping from the left and right sides against the 'Huskers' huge wall of blockers. "It's David against Goliath because, honestly, Nebraska is huge," Danielson said, "With Ferrell out, all our 'height' is pretty much the same." As in menehune-sized.

3. It is a great opportunity to get a sneak peek at the 2009 team: Well, a partial peek. With Ferrell out, Cubi-Otineru part-time, recruit Kristiana Tuaniga working toward high school graduation in California and a couple hitters presumably transferring in, you still have to use some imagination.

2. Redshirt freshman Brittany Hewitt will debut in the middle: She and walk-on Emily Maeda more than held their own in practice last fall and even their teammates are excited to see them against real competition.

1. It's Nebraska: The rare opponent that has won as many NCAA championships as Hawai'i (three) and is closing the attendance gap. The 'Huskers, whose waiting list for season tickets is prioritized based on contributions to the athletic department, play in an outdated arena that holds only 4,000. They averaged 4,769 last season because of four regular-season matches at the Qwest and Devaney centers. That's about 1,200 less than the 'Bows, who have led the country in attendance since moving into Stan Sheriff Center (capacity 10,000-plus) in 1994.

NOTES

The teams will probably play four sets no matter what happens during the first three, Dave Shoji said.

Both teams will participate in the Collegiate Beach Nationals next month in Riverside, Calif.

Hawai'i's 2009 season begins at home the last week of August, in a tournament with Santa Clara, Western Michigan and UCLA.