The trick, when hitting the road, is to make sure it doesn't hit back.

That Hawaii is 90-2 away from home in 12-plus years of Western Athletic Conference play is proof the Rainbow Wahine travel well.

nd it goes beyond the results on the court. Historically, when Hawaii comes to town, the host team has its largest crowd of the year, the stands filled with island expatriates and family of Wahine players.

Tomorrow at Boise State should be no exception. Among the spectators in cozy Bronco Gym (1,400) will be relatives and friends of Wahine junior hitter Aneli Cubi-Otineru who live in Idaho.

“;I'm very excited to get to see family and friends,”; said Cubi-Otineru, a junior college All-American at Southern Idaho in 2005.

Missing, however, will be Cubi-Otineru's older sister. Former Wahine player Babes Kalulu, the director of volleyball operations at Southern Idaho, and the eighth-ranked Golden Eagles are in Salt Lake City this week for the regional tournament.

Tomorrow's match against the Broncos (7-16, 3-9) kicks off Hawaii's last WAC road trip, a three-in-five-day schedule that also concludes WAC play for the Wahine. Saturday's match at Idaho (15-8, 8-4) is expected to be the toughest of the three, partly because of the strength of the Vandals but also the environment in Memorial Gym (1,500).

“;Idaho's crowd is kind of rowdy,”; Wahine sophomore setter Dani Mafua said.

“;To me, all the places are tough,”; Cubi-Otineru said. “;Everyone is out to get us because of the reputation we carry, being the WAC champions.

“;I think we're a lot better than when we played (Boise State) the last time. We're more together, have better communication. We're trying new things and communication is the key to our new things on offense.”;

Hawaii hosted Boise State on Sept. 20, the second WAC match of the season. Freshman Kanani Danielson had her sixth double-double with team highs of 10 kills and 15 digs as the Wahine ran their record against the Broncos to 17-0 with the 25-11, 25-18, 29-27 sweep.

Hawaii has gone 10-1 since to remain atop the WAC standings. Boise State, meanwhile, is tied for seventh place after going 4-8.

Still, there is no looking past the Broncos to Saturday's match at third-place Idaho.

“;Every (WAC) team has had their night, their moments,”; Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. “;We are concentrating on Boise then we'll look at Idaho.

“;We've been a pretty good road team. When you look at each team on this trip individually, it's nothing we can't handle. But three road games in a row is difficult, no matter who it is.”;

Hawaii's been working on new plays on offense, a few which were unveiled the past few matches. The Wahine may use some this week “;but we're not real sharp yet,”; Shoji said. “;If we're ready, we might run them occasionally.”;

What Hawaii really wants to do is finish strong and earn at least a share of the WAC title. The Wahine have a half-game lead over New Mexico State; should both win out, the Aggies—with four matches left to Hawaii's three—would share the championship.

Should that happen, and should Idaho finish third, New Mexico State would have the tie-breaker over Hawaii based on set-differential against the Vandals, and have the top seed in the WAC tournament two weeks from now.

“;We can't worry about being No. 1 or No. 2 right now,”; Mafua said. “;We want to focus on what we need to do and not worry about the (seeding) numbers.

“;We want to go out and play our game, then come back, reset and refocus for the WAC tournament and whatever happens after that.”;

After Monday's match at Fresno State, Hawaii returns home to host Utah Valley in a nonconference match Nov. 15. The annual alumnae match precedes the contest with the Wolverines.

Last Tuesday, Boise State outlasted Utah Valley 25-13, 21-25, 25-16, 13-25, 19-17 to snap a three-match losing streak. The Broncos were then swept by New Mexico State last Saturday 25-23, 25-11, 25-9 in 68 minutes.