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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, April 5, 2002

Ex-Warrior Tukuafu will start pro career

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Torry Tukuafu's volleyball career, on hold the past year for school, is about to be revived.

Tukuafu, an all-conference hitter for the University of Hawai'i, used up his collegiate eligibility last season and has been training six days a week for a beach career since. He plans to play in five West Coast beach tournaments this summer while continuing to work for Secure Technology Hawai'i.

Tukuafu, a former Kahuku High School all-star, will graduate in May with a degree in management information systems. He played his freshman year at Brigham Young, then transferred to UH to play his final three — and marry former Rainbow Wahine Andrea Gomez.

"For awhile I was contemplating playing professionally in Europe," Tukuafu said. "For sure I want to play professional beach volleyball. My plan this summer is to play beach volleyball as much as I can."

Tukuafu, who has been training with Stein Metzger among others, should see several players with Hawai'i ties on the beach tour. Half the Top 10 at the end of last year were from Hawai'i or played for UH: Metzger (5), Olympian Kevin Wong (7), Albert Hanneman (8), Sean Scott (9) and Lee LeGrande (10).

Andrea Gomez-Tukuafu played on Hawai'i's final four team in 2001, graduated and started a singing career a year ago with Daniel Ho as a mentor. With she and Torry's plans up in the air, she will put that career on hold after a concert with Ho on April 27 at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

In the past year, she has made several singing appearances, including the Honolulu Symphony's Christmas concerts and three shows in Tokyo. She sang on Ho's "Finding My Way" compact disc, which was also a TV special.

QUICK SETS: Several players with Hawai'i and national team ties are playing professional indoor volleyball overseas. Heather Bown (Olympia Teodora), Therese Crawford (Volley Modena), Robyn Ah Mow (Vicenza Volley) and Mike Lambert (Sira Anacona) are in Italy. Scott Wong is playing for Numancia, in Spain, and Clay Stanley is with P.A.O.K., in Greece. ... Ah Mow, the starting setter for the U.S. at the 2000 Olympics, has recovered from a January car accident. She missed three weeks of the season. ... Former Rainbow Chris Kosty is working out as a libero at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. ... Tickets for "The Honolulu Academy of Arts presents Daniel Ho," April 27 at 7:30 p.m., are $15. They are available at the Academy's box office or by calling 532-8700 between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The box office is closed Mondays and holidays.