CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Kelli Mulvany (left) and Kelly Griffin-Halfaker celebrate after winning a point earlier this season in McKale Center. The Wildcats play host to Arizona State Saturday.

Just two weeks ago, the Arizona volleyball team was 0-5 in Pacific 10 Conference play and preparing to face a pair of top-10 teams ÷ No. 8 UCLA and No. 1 Southern California ÷ on the road. It was still the first week in October and the Wildcats' season was heading downhill fast.

But after splitting with USC and UCLA during their trip to Los Angeles and sweeping the Oregon schools last weekend at McKale Center, it appears the Wildcats (9-11, 3-6 Pac-10) are proving they may still belong among the nation's elite.

Heading for another loss Sunday night in Honolulu ÷ Hawaii took the first two games ÷ the Wildcats rallied back against the Rainbow Wahine, tying the match at two games apiece before a crowd of 7,366.

Hawaii took the fifth and deciding game, 15-13, but not before Arizona proved that its a lot closer than it thought toward regaining its Elite Eight form of the last three seasons.

"I'm very pleased that we were able to come back," said head coach Dave Rubio. "I'm disappointed that we lost, but I really feel (like we're) getting a lot closer to where I thought we would be."

DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore Bre Ladd leaps for a spike earlier this season against Oregon State in McKale Center. Arizona lost to Hawaii in a close match Sunday in Honolulu.

Arizona was just the third Hawaii foe to force the Rainbow Wahine, who have only lost to undefeated USC, into a five-game match. The Wildcats also held the Rainbows to a .168 hitting percentage, a few notches below their season average of .346.

The close loss came in the Wildcats third match in five days, after the team also had to make the long trek across the Pacific Ocean.

Sophomore outside hitter Kim Glass led the way for the Wildcats with 28 kills, nearly getting to the 30-kill milestone two matches in a row, but the best story may have been Abernathy, who had a career night with a career-best 20 kills ÷ hitting .295 ÷ and had a career-high 15 digs.

Based on its win UCLA and near-comeback at Hawaii, Rubio said he is confident that the team can keep improving enough to get back to .500.

"We feel that we're as good as anyone in the country," Rubio said.

This week marks the beginning of the second half of the Pac-10's double-round-robin home and home schedule. Arizona has been 3-6 in the Pac-10 at the halfway point twice, in 1990 and 1996, improving to 10-8 and 8-10, respectively.

Rubio thinks that a similar result is very possible.

"I think we're actually in a very good position," Rubio said. "We're exactly where we want to be."

That statement would have seemed like a stretch coming from even the most ardent Arizona fan just two weeks ago. The rest of the season appeared to be an afterthought for the team with only one senior.

After falling out of the Top 25 for the first time since 1998, a span of 83 polls, the Wildcats faced the school's toughest stretch ever ÷ four top-10 teams in a row. After falling at home to then-No. 4 Stanford and then-No. 9 Cal, Arizona was 6-9, 0-5 in the Pac-10.

The Wildcats responded to the sluggish start by upsetting UCLA in Pauley Pavilion before falling the next night to No. 1 USC. Even though Arizona was swept by the unbeaten Women of Troy, USC played so well that it set a number of school records in the match.

After the UA beat Oregon 3-0 and Oregon State 3-0, getting within one win of the .500 mark, Glass said it felt great to win again.

"I think it was no surprise to our team," Glass said. "I think a lot of people have doubted us. That's their bad, because we didn't doubt ourselves, regardless. We're going to go out there and have confidence. We knew we were going to win both of these games this weekend. So it feels great to win again."

The Wildcats' bid to return to the Pac-10's first division ÷ the UA was picked to finish tied for third in the conference and has not finished below 5th since 1995 ÷ appears to be a tough one, as there are five Pac-10 teams ranked in the nation's top 10, including No. 1 USC, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Cal, No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Washington.

When asked if she felt the Wildcats were on the verge of bigger and better things after defeating the Beavers, Glass said the team has been getting better all along.

"I just think every game ÷ including the games we've been losing ÷ that we're getting better and every game we get to know one another more on the volleyball court," Glass said. "We already know each other off the court, but on the court, we're gaining experience with one another, which is going to help us develop into a national championship team."

Arizona plays again Saturday, hosting Arizona State (8-10, 3-6). The Sun Devils rallied from down 0-2 to win, 3-2, in their previous meeting, knocking the UA out of the Top 25.