ISLE FILE
UH to host women's volleyball regional
Advertiser Staff
The University of Hawai'i will host one of four NCAA Women's Volleyball Regionals for the 2006 season, the NCAA announced.
UH has hosted at least one NCAA match in 16 of the 24 NCAA tournaments they qualified for, but haven't hosted an NCAA tournament match in two years.
Two seasons ago as the No. 1-team in the nation, the then-unbeaten Rainbow Wahine were sent to Fort Collins, Colo., for the opening round of the NCAA tournament. UH won both matches there and traveled to Green Bay, Wis., for the regionals, where it lost.
UH has led the country in attendance every year since moving to the Stan Sheriff Center in 1994, averaging more than 7,000 fans a match.
"I'm happy the NCAA is taking the championships to sites that support volleyball," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "It makes a lot of sense to go where people want to see good volleyball."
Other regional sites will be the University of Washington, University of Texas and University of Florida.
WARRIORS STILL NO. 3
The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team, which swept a two-match series last weekend against Loyola University Chicago, remained No. 3 in this week's national ranking.
UC Irvine (21-3) remained No. 1 with Brigham Young (16-4) still No. 2, and No. 3 UH (15-4) in the CSTV/AVCA Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll.
UH SOFTBALL
RAINBOW WAHINE LOSE
Eileen Canney fired a one-hitter with a career-high 17 strikeouts as No. 17 Northwestern beat host Hawai'i, 5-0, yesterday.
Canney faced just 23 Hawai'i batters to earn the victory for the Wildcats (16-6).
Justine Smethurst, the reigning Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference softball Pitcher of the Week, took the loss, throwing four innings and allowing three runs.
Tyleen Tausaga had the only hit for Hawai'i (14-13).
Northwestern beat Kansas, 6-2, in an earlier game. Kansas dropped to 15-14.
Last Thursday, Smethurst pitched a perfect game in a 6-0 victory over Longwood in the opening round of the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational. She struck out six.
UH SWIMMING & DIVING
TWO EARN NCAA SPOT
University of Hawai'i swimmer Thomas Winkler and diver Mats Wiktorsson qualified for this week's NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech's Aquatic Center, March 23-25.
Winkler, a senior from Gottmadingen, Germany, is competing in the 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke.
Wiktorsson, a sophomore from Jonkoping, Sweden, captured the platform diving title two weeks ago at the Zone E Diving Regional at Oklahoma City.
GOLF
HAYASHI, TAKETA WIN
Kevin Hayashi and Lance Taketa birdied the first extra hole yesterday to defeat three other teams in the Aloha Section PGA Big Island Candies Scotch 4-Ball Championship at The Club at Hokuli'a on the Big Island.
Hayashi, of Mauna Kea Resort, and Taketa, of Hilo Municipal Golf Course, finished the 36-hole stroke-play team event at 2-over par 146 after shooting 78 yesterday.
They won $3,500.
