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Warriors sign middle blocker

Matthew Rawson, a 6-foot-8 middle blocker from Los Angeles, has signed a letter of intent to join the Hawaii men's volleyball program in 2006, the school announced yesterday.

Rawson, a senior at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., is a two-time USA Volleyball Association All-American and has trained with the Youth Junior National team.

Rawson is the Warriors' lone early signee. The team opens the season with exhibition matches against the University of Alberta (Canada) Dec. 29 and 31 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Fans make the call on next UH hoops game

Hawaii basketball fans will choose the color designation for the Rainbow Warriors' home game against Saint Mary's on Dec. 11.

Fans can vote on the UH athletic department's Web site, HawaiiAthletics.com, to decide whether the game will be "Green Out," "White Out," or "Black Out" night. They can also vote for "no color designation."

Votes will be taken until Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. UH held a "Black Out" for Monday's game against Southern Illinois when the team unveiled its black uniforms and fans wore black shirts.

Wahine in sixth after first day of Texas meet

Overcoming two canceled flights and arriving in Texas just 70 minutes before the start of the University of Texas Invitational, the Hawaii men's and women's swimming and diving teams both sit in the top 10 after the first day of action.

The Wahine, currently in sixth place, got a huge boost from QiongJie Huang and Rui Wang as they placed first and second in the 3-meter springboard, with Huang totaling a school-record 536.50 points in the event.

On the men's side, the Warriors are in 10th place, led by Thomas Winkler, who posted the team's fastest time of the season in the 50 Free at 20.81 seconds. The meet continues through tomorrow.