ISLE FILE
HPU opens regional Thursday
Advertiser Staff
The Hawai'i Pacific women's volleyball team will open the NCAA Division II tournament against Cal State Bakersfield in the Pacific Regional Thursday at RIMAC Arena on the UC San Diego campus.
The match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Hawai'i time.
The Sea Warriors (15-7), ranked No. 19 in the nation, received the No. 5 seed in the regional, which also includes nationally No. 1 ranked UC San Diego (25-4), No. 3 Western Washington (24-1), Cal State San Bernardino (24-4) and Seattle University (16-8).
Seattle and San Bernardino play in Thursday's first match at 3 p.m.
UC San Diego and Western Washington, seeded No. 1 and 2 in the regional receive first-round byes.
The Sea Warriors would face UC San Diego Friday at 5:30 p.m. if they beat Bakersfield (20-7). The final is set for Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Sea Warriors received the Pacific West Conference's automatic berth Friday when Brigham Young-Hawai'i, ranked No. 2 nationally, announced it was forfeiting the conference title because it used an ineligible player in 14 matches. The Seasiders are the defending national champions.
The winners of the eight regionals advance to the national tournament, Dec. 3 to 7, at a site to be announced.
TENNIS
• Widom wins Futures: Sixth-seeded Scott Widom defeated second-seeded Lamine Ouahab, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to win the Honolulu USTA Futures Tournament at Diamond Head Tennis Center yesterday.
Widom, who played for the University of Miami as a freshman in 2002, won $1,350. Ouahab, of Algeria, received $720. It was Widom's first USTA Futures tournament, which is part of the USTA Pro Circuit, the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world. Players compete for prize money and rankings points.
In the doubles final, Trace Fielding and Keith From defeated Widom and Scott Lipsky, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-1. The doubles champions earn $945.
All five finalists are scheduled to play in the Hilton Waikoloa Village Futures main draw, which begins tomorrow.
SAILING
• Olympic trials: None of the athletes with Hawai'i connections were successful in their bids to earn spots on the U.S. Olympics Sailing Team for next year's Games in Athens.
Berths went to winners of each division in trials that ended yesterday.
At Houston Yacht Club, John Myrdal of Kailua finished second to Mark Mendelblatt in the laser division. Andrew Lewis of Honolulu was fourth and former Honolulu resident Marc Jacobi was 16th.
Myrdal was a 2000 Olympian.
In the men's 470 division, Waipahu's Martin Sterling and Kailua's Sean Doyle finished eighth. In the women's 470, Kailua's Molly O'Bryan and Kane'ohe's Annelise Moore were sixth.
In the mistral (windsurfing) competition at Jensen Beach, Fla., Maui's Ceci Cleary finished seventh in the women's division and Maui's Alf Imperato was fourth in the men's division.
GOLF
• Seki finishes 33rd: Punahou grad Jim Seki finished tied for 33rd yesterday at a second-stage PGA Tour qualifying tournament and failed to advance to the finals.
Seki, who played at Stanford, shot a 2-over-par 74 and finished at 284 at Beaumont, Calif.
The top 20 and ties (cut at 281) advanced to the 108-hole finals, Dec. 3-8, at Wintergarden, Fla.
MEETINGS
• Honolulu Quarterback Club: Today's scheduled speakers are former pro, college and Hawai'i high school quarterback Joe Francis, UH football assistant coach Vantz Singletary and UH men's basketball head coach Riley Wallace.
Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. at Pagoda Hotel Ballroom.
• Na Koa: University of Hawai'i football head coach June Jones and associate head coach George Lumpkin are scheduled to speak at the booster club luncheon today.
The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. at Stan Sheriff Center.
