Sports Update
Pepperdine's isle players put hurt on UH
Talk about local talent coming back to haunt you.Three former Punahou varsity volleyball stars started for No. 2 Pepperdine men's volleyball team Friday night before 6,268 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center as the Waves throttled No. 4 University of Hawaii, 17-16, 15-8, 15-11.
The trio of senior middle blocker Rick Tune, freshman outside hitter Scott Wong and junior setter J.J. Riley combined for 34 kills, 21 digs, five blocks, 14 blocks assists and one service ace.
"Three Punahou starters, yeah," said the exuberant 6-foot-5 Wong. "And we were all coached in the same style of play, so there's a common bond among us."
The loss snapped a seven-match win streak for the Rainbows and dropped them to 10-2 (13-3 overall), still atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Pacific Division standings.
Pepperdine improved to 10-1 in the MPSF Mountain Division standings. The Waves (11-1 overall) are in second place behind unbeaten and top-ranked UCLA.
The Rainbows play the Waves again Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Aztec pitcher doesn't balk at chance
The last time Ruben Aguilera was inside Rainbow Stadium, the San Diego State pitcher left the game in a swirl of controversy.Local umpires ruled the unusual motion of the diminutive right-hander was a balk, forcing Aztecs head coach Jim Dietz to remove him from a game San Diego State eventually lost in extra innings.
Friday night, Dietz turned to his senior pitcher once again. But this time, the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder couldn't rely on a motion he had used since Little League.
A conference committee recently ruled that Aguilera's motion was indeed a balk, forcing him to go to a more conventional delivery.
He entered the game with two outs, men on first and second, and the University of Hawaii just back from the dead. An 11-0 San Diego State lead after two innings was now 11-10 in the eighth.
Aguilera was so pumped up at his shot at redemption, he promptly plunked Matt Wheeler in the back to load the bases for Lars Hansen.
The sophomore catcher for the Rainbows is mired in a slump, but UH head coach Les Murakami was betting Hansen would snap out of it at the most opportune time. He was wrong.
Hansen lifted a harmless fly to center to end the threat as the Aztecs went on to secure an unusual 16-10 victory last night over the Rainbows in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series.
Aguilera pitched a perfect ninth after the Aztecs gave him a little breathing room with five runs in the top half of the inning. It was his third save of the season, and a moment he has dreamed about since Dietz pulled him here last May in the final series of the regular season.
If it's NIT, tickets would go on sale Monday
If the University of Hawaii men's basketball team team does not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and if the Rainbows are selected to host a first-round game in the Chase National Invitation Tournament, tickets for that game will go on sale Monday at the Stan Sheriff Center box office.The NCAA field will be announced Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on KGMB.
The NIT first-round games are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12.
Should UH get a host spot in the NIT, fans will be allowed to stand in line at the Sheriff Center box office at 6 a.m. and ticket sales will start at 8 a.m. If tickets are still available, telephone sales will begin at noon (944-2697).
Season ticket-holders who pre-ordered would pick up NIT tickets at 8 a.m., Tuesday. Photo IDs would be required.
Prices would be $15 (lower level) and $13 (upper level). There would be a limit of 10 tickets per customer. There would be a $1-per-ticket service charge for all telephone sales.