Metzger, Wong win beach volley title
By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser
Kevin Wong teamed with Stein Metzger to win a family battle as well as the men's title at the 14th annual Riggers Beach Volleyball Classic yesterday at Queen's Beach in Waikiki.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Metzger and Wong defeated Kevin's brother, Scott Wong, and Dan Mince of California, 21-17, 21-8.
Scott Wong, left, attempts to block Stein Metzger during the title match of the 14th annual Riggers Beach Volleyball Classic at Queen's Beach.
"The first game was pretty tight, but us being the seasoned veterans, kind of pulled away in the end," Kevin said. "Their being young and a little bit inexperienced kind of showed."
Metzger and Kevin Wong, both Punahou graduates, and the top seeds in this tournament, are ranked ninth in the FIVB (Federation Internacionale de Volleyball) tour.
The two are back in Hawai'i to train for the final FIVB event in Fortaleza, Brazil, Oct. 1-6.
"The FIVB has the world's best volleyball players, so the competition is stronger there," Metzger said. "But it is always a little more relaxing and enjoying to play here, obviously, in front of our friends and family.
"But this is a good testing ground for us. If we can win pretty easily here, it shows that we should be ready for the FIVB event."
Heidi Ilustre and Tanya Fuamatu defeated Janice Herrer and Keri Poppinga, 17-21, 21-16, 15-11, to take the women's title for the second year in a row.
Ilustre and Fuamatu were forced to make some adjustments after dropping the first game.
"I really wasn't playing my game," said Ilustre, a former University of Hawai'i player. "I was kind of off and wasn't making my shots, so I just decided to hit the ball and bang away.
"It feels great to win. My partner did an awesome job; she carried me and pushed me and yelled at me, and that is what I needed."
