The Mountain West Conference unveiled its 2026 women's volleyball league schedule Wednesday, introducing a significant format change designed to ease the unique travel burden on the University of Hawaii. This season, teams will face the same opponent twice in a single week, a departure from the previous model of playing two different foes.
This adjustment is a strategic win for the Rainbow Wahine. Given Hawaii's geographical isolation—requiring at least a five-hour flight to the mainland—the new format means the team will host or visit one opponent for a two-match series, rather than navigating complex travel for two separate matches. It also maximizes travel efficiency for mainland teams making the long trip to the islands.
For Hawaii, transitioning from the Big West—where all opponents were in California—to the more geographically dispersed Mountain West makes this schedule crucial. It mirrors the structure long used by the university's men's volleyball team and simplifies logistics for everyone involved.
"We're looking forward to the start of this new era of Mountain West volleyball in Hawaii," said associate coach Kaleo Baxter. "It’s the right move when you look at everything involved—travel, logistics... these players get to prepare for an entire week to focus on one opponent."
The Wahine will host two-match series against New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Nevada, and Air Force, beginning at home on Sept. 25-26. Road series will take them to Grand Canyon, Wyoming, UC Davis, and UTEP, with the home-and-away opponents flipping in 2027.
On the court, head coach Robyn Ah Mow enters her 10th season with a strong core, including four returning starters who earned All-Big West honorable mention: setter Adrianna Arquette, libero Victoria Leyva, outside hitter Cha’lei Reid, and middle blocker Miliana Sylvester.
The season will culminate in the Mountain West Championship, a single-elimination tournament for the top four teams, scheduled for Nov. 24-25 in Las Vegas. All conference matches will be available on the new MWC streaming platform, with most series played Thursday-Saturday, though Hawaii will typically play its back-to-back matches starting on Fridays.