By Doug Bauer

Daily News staff writer

The University of Idaho volleyball team has had an early season to remember, if not for its various successes and failures, then for a harrowing incident at a tournament in Los Angeles earlier this month.

The Vandals spent nearly two hours cramped into a broken elevator when they should have been warming up for their match against tournament-host Loyola Marymount.

The team escaped unscathed, save for some frazzled nerves, but was unable to recover in time for its match, which it wound up losing 3-games-1.

With any luck, the Vandals will avoid any similar escapades today when they open Western Athletic Conference play at San Jose State. The match, Idahos first as a member of the WAC, is set for a 7 p.m. start.

The Vandals put together a 7-4 nonconference mark, and coach Debbie Buchanan said her team learned a lot about itself in its most recent outing at the Utah Tournament, where it lost matches against then-No. 17 Santa Clara and the host Utes, who went on to win their own tourney.

We kind of exposed some of our weaknesses, said Buchanan, whose team is gunning for its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. So weve had to clean some things up as far as our transition and how we were defending pushed balls, and we just really need to make sure we do that this weekend.

San Jose State is 5-6 thus far, and the Spartans have played in four five-game matches this season, winning two.

Following tonights match, Idaho continues its swing through California with a WAC contest at Fresno State, which has struggled through a 2-8 start.

These are matches we need to go in and win, Buchanan said. I think were better than both these teams, and we should be expected to win these games.

Following this weekends matches, Idaho will return to Moscow for its first home appearances of the season. The Vandals will play host to Nevada and Utah State next Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Those are two really tough opponents, Buchanan said. So its going to be really important that we go on the road this weekend, clean some things up and try to really get better.

Doug Bauer can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 231, or by e-mail at .