The University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team had everything going for it on Dec. 8, 1995.

The Wahine, undefeated in 31 matches, were up two sets to none against Michigan State in a regional final of the NCAA tournament.

Earlier in the day, Dave Shoji’s fifth National Coach of the Year award was announced.

And Hawaii possessed one of the best home-court advantages in college volleyball, a capacity crowd of 10,225 at the Stan Sheriff Center ready to cheer it the final 15 points to victory as UH appeared to be a few minutes away from the national semifinals.

But as any poker player knows, a full house isn’t always enough to win. The Spartans regrouped and came back to shock the Wahine and everyone else in the packed arena, 6-15, 8-15, 15-10, 15-7, 15-12.

Michigan State, in just its second NCAA tourney, was headed to the final four.

Way more often than not, Hawaii fans leave the SSC smiling. But sometimes not, and sometimes with the season on the line. NCAA third-round losses to Texas A&M in 1999 and USC in 2011 at home were also especially painful; the first because Hawaii would be hosting the final four and the latter because the Wahine and Trojans were widely considered final-four quality teams.

In 2004, after his 1,000th coaching victory and the first 30 of his 42 years as Wahine head coach, Shoji was asked to name his favorite matches. Of course, UH’s four national championships made the list. But so did two defeats, including the only loss on the 1995 season.

“It had to be one of the most devastating losses in the program’s history,” Shoji wrote. “We had Angelica Ljungqvist and Robyn Ah Mow as juniors, with Jenny Wilton our only senior that year. But we really thought we were good enough to make a run at a national title, which made that loss so hurtful. I think losing that match gave our team the fire for our 1996 run (to the NCAA final match, a three-set loss to Stanford).”

It was No. 7 on Shoji’s list, and is No. 8 on the Star-Advertiser sports staff’s voting for the 10 most memorable sports events in the first 25 years of the Stan Sheriff Center.