Football tailgate party or volleyball match? Mike Jordan wasn't sure which event New Mexico State fans would choose today.

The Aggie faithful could opt for both on “;Rivalry Saturday.”; Catch No. 7 Hawaii in the Pan American Center for volleyball at 3 p.m., walk over to Aggie Memorial Stadium for the 99th football meeting with I-25 rival New Mexico at 6 p.m.

Even though admission for volleyball is only $1 for football ticket holders “;I think the early match time will hurt,”; Jordan, the New Mexico State coach, said. “;We've been averaging pretty good for us (1,628). We'll see what happens.”;

There is one guarantee. After today, there will be only one undefeated volleyball team in the Western Athletic Conference.

Both the Wahine and Aggies are 3-0. Both come in after a sweep on the road Thursday: Hawaii won its ninth straight at Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State won its fourth at Idaho.

And, if the recent history between these two is any indication, today's match will be a long one. The outcome has been decided by a fifth set in five of the last eight contests, four of those played in Las Cruces, N.M.

Hawaii is 3-0 when it has gone to five in the Pan American Center, including the WAC tournament championship match last November. New Mexico State's victory came in 2006 when the match was played at Las Cruces High, a win that ended the Wahine's regular-season WAC winning streak at 114.

“;They're a tough team and they're always tough here,”; Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. “;We expect the same tomorrow.”;

Both Hawaii and New Mexico State were delayed when flying into El Paso, Texas, yesterday. The Wahine were stuck in Dallas for nearly 2 hours, while the Aggies had an hour delay in Phoenix.

Hawaii got into Las Cruces about an hour after New Mexico State did. Both teams held light workouts and “;it was sluggish, but we needed to get one in,”; Shoji said.

Wahine freshman Kanani Herring (sprained ankle), held out of Thursday's match at LaTech, was able to fully participate in yesterday's practice. Shoji said it would be a game-time decision whether to use the reigning WAC player of the week.

Key to Hawaii's success will be its ability to slow NMSU senior middle Amber Simpson, who has been a handful since her freshman year. She had 11 kills and hit .556 against Idaho.

The Aggies' balanced attack has always matched up well with that of the Wahine's. Senior Lindsey Yon is averaging a team-high 3.78 kps while junior Krista Altermatt is second at 2.47 kps.

Senior libero Krystal Torres (4.43 dps), the NMSU career dig leader, “;is one of the best liberos in the league,”; Shoji said.

As good as the Aggies' defense has been against the Wahine, Jordan thinks it's been Hawaii's defense that has made the difference in the matches UH has won.

“;We've hit rockets at them and the balls have come back up,”; Jordan said. “;That wears you out. I've watched film on them this year and they're an even better defensive team than last year. That makes them even more dangerous.”;