Naturally, a man named Tune would come up with a catchy tournament name like “;Clash of the Titans.”;

By the time three nationally ranked volleyball teams take the court tonight, the hype will be over and two California powers will get their shot at No. 1 Punahou in the two-day event.

Punahou, guided by coach Rick Tune, retained its top ranking in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 this week. Newport Harbor (Calif.), ranked 35th, takes on the Buffanblu in the 7 p.m. matchup.

Before that, No. 19 Hawaii Baptist battles 29th-ranked Corona del Mar (Calif.) in a 5 p.m. match.

Tomorrow, Corona del Mar gets a shot at Punahou. The Sea Kings feature outside hitter Joey Booth, who has signed to play for USC next season, and UC Santa Barbara recruit Weston Nielson, another outside hitter.

“;Those two are 6-4 and 6-5,”; Tune said.

One of Newport Harbor's top prospects is libero Connor Curry, who has signed to play for Penn State.

“;Newport is even bigger,”; Tune said. “;This is going to be a true clash of the titans.”;

Of course, Punahou has its own lethal combination of talent, with outside hitters Josh Taylor and Henry Cassiday, and versatile Taylor Crabb.

Most elite tournaments, including the Best of the West event won by Punahou a month ago in Poway, Calif., are whirlwind experiences with several matches per day. The pace of Clash of the Titans will be less hectic, though HBA coach Teoni Obrey is just hoping his young team can hold its own.

The Eagles, the two-time defending Division II state champions, are coming off a busy stretch of tough competition in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu: five matches in less than two weeks. The menu included a loss to Kamehameha.

Michael Fisher, a 6-5 freshman, missed that match, but has recovered from an illness.

“;We should be at full strength,”; Obrey said. “;Playing some real good competition is what we want.”;

HBA should match up well up front. Senior Ryan Leung (6-4) and sophomore Chad Barretta (6-3) have stayed healthy enough to lead HBA to a No. 4 ranking statewide.

The national ranking, though, puts the Eagles in new territory.

“;It's definitely cool to be mentioned with other teams, schools with much bigger enrollments,”; Obrey said.

Other than that, Obrey is oblivious to the attention.

“;It's not a big deal. Our goal is to win the ILH and state titles,”; he said.

Getting there through the quagmire of high-level competition, plus Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar, almost borders on the fantastic for HBA's faithful fans. For players, it's just another great set of challenges.

“;This gives us two more quality games,”; Obrey said. “;Our young guys are going through the grind of an ILH season. The toll is bigger than some of them expected.”;

Matches are all best-of-five. All four matches can be viewed online at http://www.punahou.edu.

Net notes: Other local teams ranked in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 are Kamehameha (No. 10) and 'Iolani (No. 12).