Wahine ranked fifth
in 2 volleyball polls

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Star-Bulletin staff

In the inaugural AVCA/USA Today Top 25 poll of the season, the University of Hawaii Wahine volleyball team is ranked No. 5.

The Wahine are also ranked fifth in the Volleyball magazine top 20 poll that was released yesterday.

Topping both polls is defending national champion Nebraska, a team the Wahine open the season with on Aug. 24 in the State Farm Volleyball Classic/NACWAA held in Stockton, Calif. The other two teams taking part in this high-profile tournament are fourth-ranked Wisconsin and No. 12-rated Pacific.

Hawaii's opponents listed in the top 25 are No. 2-ranked USC, No. 7 UCLA, No. 11 Brigham Young, No. 13 UC Santa Barbara, No. 19 Kansas State, No. 22 Santa Clara and No. 24 Loyola Marymount.

Other teams receiving votes on the Hawaii schedule are Michigan, Utah State, Fairfield and San Jose State.

Pajaro Valley leads Billfish tourney

After two days of fishing at the 42nd annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, Pajaro Valley Gamefish Club of California has moved into first place with 1,050 points.

Team Odyssey of Northern Ireland falls from first to second with 900 points. The Hokulia Anglers move into third place with 884 points.

No fishing is scheduled for today, however the HIBT is hosting the second annual Press Golf Tournament at Big Island Country Club.

The fishing continues tomorrow with a $50,000 prize still up for grabs to the angler who beats the HIBT tournament record of 1,062.5 pounds.

The public is invited to weigh-ins each day at 4 p.m. on Kailua Pier. For more information, visit the official HIBT Web site at www.konabillfish.com.

Pearls remain unbeaten at Babe Ruth Series

The Pearl City Pearls finished pool play unbeaten and are the No. 1 seed in the double-elimination championship round of the Babe Ruth Softball World Series in Appleville, La.

The Pearls knocked off Washington Township of New Jersey 6-2 in extra innings yesterday.

The Pearls are 4-0, thanks in part to scoring four runs in the eighth to break a 2-2 deadlock.

Kehau Yamaguchi got the win. Shelly Joslin, Charity Senas and Lindsey Fujita knocked in two runs apiece.

Sanchez-Vicario enters Big Island tournament

The Sanex WTA Tour's Big Island Championship next month will be headlined by Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Belgium's Justine Henin.

"We are thrilled to be able to announce that Justin and Arantxa have entered the Big Island Championships," tournament director Eric Kutner said. "This is great news for tennis fans in Hawaii who will have the rare opportunity to see players of this stature in the intimate setting provided by the Stadium Court at Hilton Waikoloa Village."

Henin is a rising star who reached the semifinals of the French Open and the round of 16 at the Australian Open. She also upset Jennifer Capriati at Wimbledon before losing to Venus Williams in the championship match.

Sanchez-Vicario has won 14 grand slam titles, including three singles championships at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open. At this point, 23 players entered into the tournament are in the top 100. Tickets are available at Ticket Plus. For more information, call Hilton Waikoloa at 886-1234.

Hawaii's Own

Benny Agbayani, Mets: Hitting from the leadoff spot, the St. Louis and Hawaii Pacific alumnus was 0-for-2 with two walks in New York's 6-0 loss to San Diego.

Mike Fetters, Pirates: The Iolani graduate entered a tied game in the bottom of the 10th inning, with one out and runners on first and second. On his very first pitch, Matt Williams singled to left field to drive in the winning run in Arizona's 4-3 victory.