South Bend, Ind.
(pop. 107,789)
NOTRE DAME: The Irish return four starters from the Sweet 16 team that fell to Wisconsin in five, but will have to replace the offense of three of its top four kill leaders, including All-Americans Lauren Brewster (3.84 kpg) and Lauren Kelbley (3.56)
Notre Dame
Oct. 16 & 17
7 p.m.
Stan Sheriff Center
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Running the team for a third year is junior Ashley Tarutis (12.69 apg). The seven-member freshman class was ranked third by Volleyball magazine. Coach Debbie Brown lost her top assistant Robin Davis to Boise State.
Did you know?: The 1,250-acre campus of the University of Notre Dame du Lac (Our Lady of the Lake) has two lakes.
If you go: Check out the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Hall of Fame ("A League of Their Own").
Moscow, Idaho
(pop. 22,000)
IDAHO: The Vandals continue to improve under coach Debbie Buchanan and were picked to finish fourth in the WAC preseason coaches poll.
Idaho
Oct. 27
7 p.m.
Stan Sheriff Center
Nov. 17
5 p.m.
Memorial Gym (1,500)
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Five starters are back, including two who made an impact as freshmen: middle Sarah Loney and hitter Haley Larsen. Senior setter Saxony Brown has two of her other favorite targets back in seniors Erin Curtis and Amanda Bowman. The Vandals also have a lot of youth in two true freshmen, five redshirt freshmen and five sophomores.
Did you know?: Idaho Gem, the world's first cloned mule, was created by researchers at Idaho and Utah State University.
If you go: Consider trying Hawaiian Plate Lunch at 113 North Main Street.
Slow Down
Columbia Heights, Minn.: pop. 18,520
She came to Hawaii to play ... and never left, finding a home and a calling. Kari Anderson Ambrozich enters her 10th season on the bench with the Rainbow Wahine with a new job title -- associate coach.
"I don't see much else changing, I'll have the same areas of responsibilities, the setting reps, the academics, but I did more recruiting this spring," said Ambrozich, a setter for UH (1991-94) who is married to former Rainbow basketball player Eric. "I'm excited about the possibilities of this season. I think we can go far."
If you go: Rollerblade around Lake Calhoun, Minn., hit the Mall of America. She and Eric, Kaneohe residents, also recommend nearby Haleiwa Joe's and hiking Diamond Head.
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There is only one question. Is this THE year Hawaii finally loses a Western Athletic Conference match?
WAC tournament
Nov. 22-24
Lawlor Events Center (11,600)
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The Rainbow Wahine extended their WAC streak to 107 last season, becoming just the second team in NCAA history to record 100 straight conference victories. (The record is 145, set by Florida in the SEC 1995-2004).
Hawaii has been tested over its 10 WAC seasons. Last year, New Mexico State and Utah State took the Wahine to five on the road. NMSU went five at the Stan Sheriff Center. Nevada almost did it twice in 2004, including a marathon at the SSC, only to lose in five.
Consider this: Hawaii is 141-1 in regular-season WAC matches. Only 10 times have those matches gone five, seven on the road.
New Mexico State, picked second in the preseason WAC coaches poll, again looks to be the most serious threat to "The Streak." The Oct. 13 match in Las Cruces comes the night after UH is at LaTech. The team has to get from Ruston to Las Cruces via Shreveport and El Paso, 7 hours of flying and driving before playing.
"All streaks come to an end and the WAC streak will come to an end at some point," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "We're not going to try to let it happen, but it won't go on forever.
"We could lose a match this year, but I don't see us losing the WAC tournament championship."