Isle File
Three former Wahine on U.S. World Cup volleyball team

Advertiser Staff

Former University of Hawai'i Wahine Robyn Ah Mow, Heather Bown and Therese Crawford are part of the United States' 2001 World Grand Champions Cup team. The tournament begins Tuesday in Japan.

The U.S. qualified for the $1 million event by winning the NORCECA Championships last month in the Dominican Republic. Grand Champions is one of the four major international competitions, along with the Olympics, World Cup and World Championships.

The U.S. team is expected to be the same as the team that won its first NORCECA title since 1983, with one exception: Olympian Logan Tom is staying home with her Stanford team.

Tom was a starter alongside former Wahine All-Americans Ah Mow and Bown at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Team USA, ranked 10th going into the Olympics, took fourth. Since then, the Americans have qualified for next year's World Championships and won the 2001 Federation Internationale de Volleyball Grand Prix in China and NORCECA.

The U.S. team's current world ranking is fifth, but that also takes into account junior championships. If points from just the Olympics and Grand Prix were used, the U.S. would be ranked third, 15 points out of first.

Team USA plays Korea Tuesday, then China Wednesday, Russia Friday, Brazil next Saturday and Japan next Sunday.

BASEBALL

• Giants' Baker at winter camp: The third annual Hawai'i Winter Baseball Camp, featuring San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker, will be held Dec. 1-2 at Les Murakami Stadium.

The camp is for players ages 13-18 and will have participants rotating between the following stations: hitting/bunting, infield, outfield, pitching, base running, sports vision (by Dr. Ron Reynolds, O.D.), injury prevention and a presentation by Ultimate Baseball Online.

Besides Baker, the coaching staff will include San Francisco Giants coaches Ron Wotus, Sonny Jackson and Juan Lopez, Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach Bob Welch, Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Gary Matthews, Diamondbacks scout Mack Babitt and Kalani High graduate and 11-year major league veteran Lenn Sakata, now the manager of the Giants' Double-A affiliate in Shreveport, La.

Former and present professional players and coaches from Hawai'i also will assist with instructions.

The fee is $140, which includes lunch for both days. Campers will be eligible for door prizes presented at the camp's conclusion.

Registration forms are available at McCully Bicycle, Long John Silver's/A&W and Hawai'i Winter Baseball's Mo'ili'ili office at 905 Makahiki Way, Unit C.

For more information, call 973-7247.