Hawaii opened ranked No. 21 in today’s Ratings Percentage Index, the first RPI of the volleyball season.

The Rainbow Wahine (11-4, 4-0 Big West) ended ranked No. 15 last season after going 29-2 and reaching the elite eight of the NCAA tournament to finish tied for fifth.

“Right about where I expected to be,” Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said today. “We need our preseason opponents to do well and for us to keep winning.”

The RPI is used to help seed teams in the postseason tournament based on a team’s record and its strength of schedule. The current formula uses winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage and the winning percentage of opponents’ opponents to come up with the calculations.

The top 16 seeds have the opportunity to host the first and second rounds if putting in a bid to host. This season, there are no predetermined regional sites so that the highest remaining seed in each region will host one of the four regionals.

The Big Ten dominated the first RPI with five teams in the top 12, led by top-rated Wisconsin (12-1) and Minnesota (12-1) in second. Defending national champion Nebraska (12-1) came in at 4, Purdue (11-4) at 7 and Michigan (13-3) at 12.

Hawaii’s losses have come to Wisconsin, Kansas State (16 RPI, 12-4), UCLA (10, 11-3) and Washington (11, 12-2).

Also today, the Wahine moved up a spot to No. 12 in the AVCA Coaches Top 25. Minnesota replaced Nebraska at No. 1, receiving 61 of the 64 first-place votes. Wisconsin also moved up one place to No. 2 while Nebraska (12-1, 3 votes) dropped two spots to No. 3 after losing to Ohio State on Saturday.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Texas (12-2), San Diego (13-2), Kansas (13-2), Stanford (9-3), Washington (12-2), North Carolina (12-2) and Washington State (14-2). The Cougars continued to leap up the poll, going from unranked to No. 17 last week and up another seven spots this week.