For those on the outside looking in at this afternoon's Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, sixth-ranked Hawai'i and New Mexico State — on the cusp of volleyball's Top 25 after falling out the second week of the season — appear dead even.

It is the same for those on the inside looking out.

The top-seeded Aggies (23-7) swept the Rainbow Wahine (25-3) here six weeks ago. The second-seeded 'Bows (25-3) swept NMSU in Las Cruces two weeks earlier. Both teams scored 76 points in victory and 67 in defeat.

All the sets were that close. All the rest of the WAC was far away, though clearly gaining ground. The Aggies lost just four other sets and Hawai'i two, including this week as it hosts its first WAC Tournament at Stan Sheriff Center.

"I don't think either team is better (than the other)," said Idaho senior Haley Larsen, after her remarkable career ended Friday against UH. "The No. 6 team is not better than the No. 26 team, not at all."

New Mexico State is the better blocking team, by a bunch, and has the league's best libero in Krystal Torres. Hawai'i has more offensive weapons, and two-time WAC Player of the Year Jamie Houston. It will probably not have setter Dani Mafua, who injured her hamstring a week ago and practiced yesterday for the first time.

Without Mafua, the Rainbows' attack slows some and gives the block more time to set up. But they won the WAC last year with backup Stephanie Brandt and Shoji believes it can happen again ... if his team passes better than last time, creates problems for the Aggie with its serving, and hits much smarter than it did against Idaho.

When NMSU won here it stuffed Hawai'i into .023 hitting, its worst attack percentage in history. Since losing six of their first 10 — five to ranked teams — the Aggies are 19-1. They lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage, holding teams under .130.

Both teams have four first-team all-WAC players and a share of the WAC regular-season championship. It was New Mexico State's first.

The win over Hawai'i was historical and much more imposing than the five-set victory at Las Cruces High School two years ago that stopped the Rainbows' NCAA-record 132-match conference winning streak. This was NMSU's first win over a top-10 team, and it was a sweep in Stan Sheriff Center that all but assured the Aggies a place in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six years.

"In the second match, Hawai'i did not pass as well and it was a little more predictable offensively," NMSU coach Mike Jordan said. "I don't think we did a better job offensively in the one we won. We made a lot of errors. Neither team was very good offensively, but we played fantastic 'D,' we blocked well, dug well and competed hard the whole time.

"When we played them at our place it was so early in the conference season and we were coming off a preseason with some losses so there might have been a little self-doubt. We were not good at the end of games in Las Cruces. A lot of that is confidence issues. Our confidence has gotten better and better throughout the year."

Hawai'i has never lacked for confidence in the WAC. It has won every league championship since 1998, is 30-2 in this tournament and has won its last 26 — 21 by sweeps.

But, maybe for the first time, the threat this year is real, and the finalists real even.