It will stand the test of time. And “;time”; is the definitive word.

Hawaii's marathon victory over Brigham Young in the 1998 Western Athletic Conference volleyball tournament championship lasted 3 hours and 38 minutes. It set a record for length then and—given the change to a shorter, all-rally-scoring format—it's a record that won't be broken.

Called the “;Greatest Match Ever Played,”; the contest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena accounted for 12 WAC tournament and two NCAA marks, all of which remain today. It also jump-started Hawaii's WAC tourney championship winning streak—the Wahine had lost to the Cougars in the two previous title matches.

Hawaii dominated the all-tournament team, led by MVP and future Olympian Heather Bown. The junior middle put down 28 kills on 74 attempts, was in on nine blocks and added 10 digs in the 15-12, 21-19, 13-15, 16-18, 24-22 win.

Also named were senior hitter Leah Karratti (23 kills, 25 digs, 7 blocks), junior hitter Heidi Ilustre (21 kills, 15 digs, 6 blocks), freshman middle Veronica Lima (17 kills, 18 digs, 5 blocks) and sophomore defensive specialist Tehani Miyashiro (13 digs).

“;It was such an awesome match,”; said Bown, currently playing professionally in Italy. “;It was so darn long, you weren't believing it was over when it finally finished.

  “;In all honesty, I know I would not be sitting in Italy if it weren't for that team in '98. I have so much to thank every one of my teammates for, for helping me believe in my abilities and to enjoy my time on the court.”;

Karratti, now an elementary school teacher, put down Hawaii's 12th and final match point. She had been cramping most of the match and collapsed on the court when it was all over.

“;It was so intense and exhausting,”; she said. “;The biggest thing I remember was the team chemistry, the communication we had, most of it non-verbal. That and the coaching staff playing an important part in some of the points.”;

The most crucial of the “;free”; points came late in Game 5 when the Cougars were called for two rotation violations that turned the match in Hawaii's favor.

The Cougars served for the match at 22-21, only to have Karratti and setter Nikki Hubbert team for a block to tie it for the final time. Lima put down her 17th kill, followed by Karratti's career-high 23rd.

“;It was crazy,”; said Pacific coach Charlie Wade, the UH associate head coach in '98. “;It might have been the best team in terms of chemistry during my stay at Hawaii. It was all about the team for Leah, who was so humble, and Nikki worked so hard to be a good setter. She had a great season.

“;It was one of the coolest environments for a volleyball match, the coolest for any conference championship. It was big time.”;

There was great play after great play, most notably Hubbert saving match point when punching the ball back into play with Hawaii converting to tie it at 16-all in Game 5. There was intrigue and gamesmanship that went unnoticed by most. Both teams had run out of subs and Hawaii had to sneak Miyashiro through a front-row rotation and sophomore hitter Jessica Sudduth, out the previous four matches with a heel injury, ended up playing middle ... and getting a crucial solo block.

“;My memories are a blur, but I remember how everyone was committed to playing hard,”; Sudduth-Kaven, the women's coach at Cabrillo College in California, said. “;It was the most fun I ever had. Even my husband (former UH volleyball player Ole Kaven) remembers watching from Kauai, where the team was having a tournament.”;

Some 2,494 witnessed in Las Vegas. Thousands more watched at Aloha Stadium when the end of the match was put up on the JumboTron prior to kickoff of the Hawaii-Michigan football game.

It made national news when Fox Sports Rocky Mountain decided to stick with the match instead of switching to the start of the NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils. Denver Post columnist Terry Frei was buried by calls and e-mails from volleyball fans after writing, “;Women's volleyball? Men's wrestling? Coed cross country? Same difference. We're talking about a game in a non-revenue college sport that probably wasn't even a big deal in Hawaii.”;

No, it was huge.

“;It was a fantastic match,”; Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. “;Everyone involved was privileged to be part of that match, whether it was a coach or a player or a spectator. I remember thinking that, even if we lost, it had been so much fun.

“;We heard (about the Fox Sports) broadcast, that people were unhappy at first but then started watching and loved what they saw. The sport got some new fans that day.”;