Three former Rainbow Wahine could find themselves on the same beach court at the FIVB Aland Women’s Open, next week in Finland. Swedes Karin Lundqvist (2002-03) and Angelica Ljungquist (1993-96) have a wild card into the main draw and are ranked 22nd in the world. Cayley Thurlby (2003-06) and teammate Christal Morrison, out of the University of Washington, were given a place in qualifying after being named the No. 1 U.S. U26 beach national team.

The $110,000 stop on the Swatch FIVB World Tour is being played on an archipelago with 25,000 residents and 2 million annual visitors. It is known for having the most sunshine in the Nordic region. The Swedes are also in the main draw this week in Poland and next week in Norway.

NOTES

Minnesota’s recruiting class was judged No. 1 by http://www.prepvolleyball.com, followed by Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State, Texas, Cal and UCLA. The Gophers are the only team on that list not on Hawai‘i’s schedule this season. Santa Clara and Pepperdine, more UH opponents, are 11th and 12th. Hawai‘i, with lone freshman recruit Kristiana Tuaniga (the poll did not include transfers) is nowhere among the top 30 schools, the next 15 “Highest Honorable Mention” and 45 others receiving “High Honorable Mention” or “Honorable Mention” recognition.
Tickets for the 2009 NCAA Championship are on sale from the Tampa Bay Local Organizing Committee. The final four is in Florida for the first time and will be Dec. 17 and 19 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Fans can purchase all-session tickets for $60 at http://www.sptimesforum.com or by calling 813-301-2500. This year’s regionals will be at Stanford, Florida, Minnesota and Omaha, Neb., the week before.
All-session tickets for the 2009 WAC Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 23 to 25 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, are $45. To purchase, fans can call 888-234-2334 or visit http://www.orleansarena.com. UH season tickets are on sale and individual match tickets go on sale Wednesday.
Kevin Federline, Britney Spears’ ex-husband, is reportedly trying to get his own reality show, which would feature Federline, girlfriend Victoria Prince, and possibly his two young sons with Spears, Jayden James and Sean Preston. Prince was a second-team All-American for Hawai‘i in 2004 and 2005.