OMAHA, Neb. — What do the College World Series, Fortune 500 companies Berkshire Hathaway Inc., ConAgra and Mutual of Omaha, and the women's volleyball final four have in common?

All might be based here in a few years.

The 2006 final four will be at the same Qwest Center where Hawai'i opens its season tonight in the AVCA/NACWAA Volleyball Showcase. If Omaha has its way, it will return for good.

Representatives of Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority Omaha are considering a proposal to the NCAA that would keep volleyball's final four at the 2-year-old Qwest Center permanently.

There is precedent: The College World Series has successfully been staged at nearby Rosenblatt Stadium for more than 50 years. Omaha is looking at volleyball's final four as "the winter version of the CWS," with the sport's indoor presence helping negate the 80-degree difference in temperature.

Like baseball, volleyball is a revered sport here. Girls' volleyball is the state high school association's third-highest money-maker. The Cornhuskers have already sold out their 2005 season. This weekend's tournament could sell out, according to Roger Dixon, the authority's President/CEO.

"We'd like to have the final four here on a permanent basis," Dixon said. "The time frame in December works for the facility. It's a great region for volleyball. The Big 12 has a strong program and Iowa, our neighboring state, has a strong high school program as well.

"We would love for the NCAA to consider it. It would have to make business sense for them as well. Volleyball has done very well in some areas of the country and very poorly in others. If you're going to do this you need to stay in the areas that are a hotbed. We would think of them looking at us as being that."

The thought intrigues Hawai'i coach Dave Shoji. He doesn't believe it would give perennial contender Nebraska much advantage, even if the 'Huskers are just 50 miles down the road.

"If Omaha was willing to support it and the attendance was like baseball, we might have to look at something like this," Shoji said. "I'd like to see an arena where a ticket is hard to come by rather than a half-filled place like the last few years."

NOTES

More than 8,800 tickets had been sold for the Showcase as of yesterday. The Qwest Center holds more than 15,000, but is curtained off for 9,300. That could change.

The curtains have already come off a South section and Dixon believes more will fall today, when single-night tickets go on sale for the first time.

Tickets will also be sold tomorrow, but not until noon. Sales for the Rolling Stones "Bigger Bang" concert in January start at 8 a.m. that day. Tickets are expected to be gone by noon. Paul McCartney and U2 have sold out Qwest Center for their upcoming concerts.

Hawai'i and Nebraska are both selling courtside seating for the first time this season. The price of being close to the action, with limited vision, is steep, but apparently not too steep.

The Rainbow Wahine will set up 48 courtside seats around media row, with 36 in the front row and 12 in the second row. Cost of two front-row seats is $5,000, with parking and courtside food service included. Two back-row seats go for $2,000, with the same benefits.

As of yesterday, 10 seats are left in the front and two in the back.

The Cornhuskers put their 56 courtside seats up for sale Aug. 1, and have six left. They are charging $2,500 a seat in the front and $2,000 in the second row.

UH courtside seats can be purchased from the UH Foundation, with a portion being tax deductible. For information, call Director of Development for Athletics Kelvin Shoji (956-4322).

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.