ISLE FILE
UH volleyball topples Pacific in four games
Advertiser Staff
Letting its actions speak on the court and not the polls, the University of Hawai'i volleyball team surged to a 30-25, 25-30, 30-18, 30-26 victory over host Pacific last night in the Spanos Center.
By winning for the third time in the last four matches, the Warriors improved to 6-7 overall and 5-5 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. They also moved into eighth place; the top eight teams compete in the league's postseason playoffs.
Hours before the second match of this nine-day, four-match road trip, the Warriors learned they were not in the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA coaches' poll for the first time in school history. They were ranked every week since the poll started in 1986, a span of 340 weeks.
UH was replaced in the poll by Ball State, a team the Warriors had trounced in the Outrigger Invitational last month.
"You can't control the polls," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "You can only control what you do on your side of the net."
In Friday's meeting between the teams, the Warriors relinquished 14 aces. Last night, they yielded only once ace, and that came in Game 1.
"That was an overall improvement," Wilton said.
Opposite attacker Jake Schkud led the Warriors with 17 kills (against one error) and hit .471.
"That'll work every time," Wilton said.
So, too, will the performance by middle blocker Keali'i Frank, who slammed 10 kills in 13 swings and hit .692.
Wilton successfully tweaked the rotation, with Frank and middle blocker Steven Grgas switching spots. In the new lineup, Grgas was next to setter Sean Carney. In this rotation, Grgas faced Carney, making it easier to swat the quick sets.
Grgas had four kills (and no errors), and factored in eight of the Warriors' 10 blocks. In two of the three front-row rotations, Grgas was paired with Joshua Walker, one of the team's best vertical jumpers.
Walker struggled in Game 2, and was replaced by Nemanja "Nemo" Komar, who had six kills and no errors. But Walker returned, played steadily, and finished with 11 kills.
UH next plays at Stanford tomorrow and Thursday.
GOLF
UH WOMEN IN FOURTH; HOU TIED FOR THIRD
The University of Hawai'i women's golf team is tied for fourth after the first round of the Kitahara Fresno State Invitational yesterday at Fresno, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine are at 13-over-par 301 at the Copper River Country Club. They are six strokes behind leader Kansas.
Hawai'i's Corie Hou is tied for third at even-par 72. Xyra Suyetsugu is tied for 18th at 3-over, followed by Lisa Kajihara and Carolina Perez, who are tied for 34th at 5-over, and Phyllis Lai, who is 62nd with an 81.
Long Beach State's Lindsey McAtee is the leader at 3-under.
The tournament concludes today, starting at 6 a.m. Hawai'i time.
RODEO
'AIEA'S KALSTROM WINS HWRA JACKPOT EVENT
'Aiea's Elizabeth Kalstrom was the all-around winner of the Hawai'i Women's Rodeo Association's first jackpot rodeo of the year Sunday at Diamond J Ranch in Wai'anae.
Kalstrom won the 3D barrels and amateur rider barrels; finished second in novice horse barrels and amateur rider poles; and was fourth in novice poles. She won $192.50.
Brandy Joseph was second, Ana Canario was third and Davis Morris fourth.
The next HWRA jackpot rodeo is March 1 at Gunstock Ranch. All events are free.
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