Warriors still ranked
No. 1 in volleyball poll

The University of Hawaii men's volleyball team remained No. 1 in the latest USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 15 poll.

The Warriors (17-4) received 11 of 16 first-place votes, for 234 points. Brigham Young (18-3) received the other five votes.

Hawaii travels to BYU for matches Friday and Saturday.

PIERRE TOSTEE / ASP
Reigning world champion Sunny Garcia of Hawaii, shown
ripping a cutback, surfed past six-time world champ Kelly Slater
in the first round of the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Australia.

Garcia dominates Slater in Rip Curl surf meet

Current world and defending three-time Rip Curl Pro champion Sunny Garcia, of Hawaii, beat six-time world champion Kelly Slater in their first-round encounter yesterday off Bells Beach, Australia.

Garcia, 31, had been initially told by doctors that he would need to rehab for up to eight weeks. He had the highest score of the day (24.00) in the heat with Slater and Luke Hitchings.

A torn medial ligament has kept him out of the water for the past 10 days.

Deteriorating conditions and gale force winds caused organizers to postpone the event after only three heats were completed.

Football clinic postponed due to teachers' strike

Due to the statewide teachers' strike, the NFL/NFF Coaching Academy, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at UH, has been canceled.

Wahine in California for two key WAC series

UH meets Pacific today to start a crucial week of softball. The Wahine (31-12, 3-1 Western Athletic Conference) play three games against the 18th-ranked Tigers (36-6) today and tomorrow. UH moves on to play three against Fresno State over the weekend. The 13th-ranked Bulldogs (28-12, 4-1) are in first place in the WAC.

Wahine finish 13th in Dixie Classic golf meet

The UH women's golf team finished 13th yesterday at the BYU Dixie Classic in St. George, Utah.

Hawaii's leading golfer was Melanie Matsumura, who finished tied for 37th, at 239.

No school? learn volleyball

Thanks to a local organization, kids shut out by the teachers' strike will have a harder time complaining that there is nothing to do.

Hawaii Youth for Christ is holding a "teen volleyball fest" for school aged athletes today and tomorrow at Ala Moana Beach Park.

The event will begin with a free clinic at noon with a tournament and free play to follow from 1 to 4 p.m. on both days.

In addition to volleyball, the festival features other games and guest musicians.

"This was designed in the past 24 hours," Hawaii Youth for Christ ministry director Troy Freitas said. "But we were thinking that with the strike going on and the kids available and not doing anything, what is something we can do for them and do well? We usually do a huge volleyball tournament in the summer and said: 'why not now?'"

Freitas added that the volleyball tournament will continue on every school day for as long as the strike goes on.