Wade adds 2 recruits

New Hawaii men's volleyball coach Charlie Wade signed two players for 2011, his first recruiting class.

Two middle blockers, Shane Popelka of Chesapeake, Va., and Shane Welch of Coral Springs, Fla., committed to UH in the early signing period.

Popelka is a 6-foot-8 middle blocker at Great Bridge High. He led his team to the state semifinals and is also listed among the top 250 power forwards in high school basketball nationally.

Welch is a 6-9 middle-hitter at Douglas High. He was ranked among Volleyball magazine's Top 34 Underclassmen to Watch last spring. Welch was an all-tournament selection at last summer's Junior Olympics.

Wade said the two fill the immediate needs at middle blocker. The Warriors have two seniors in Matt Rawson and Steven Grgas and “;Popelka and Welch are capable of filling those spots,”; Wade said.

Wade expects to fill the 2011 class during the late signing period in April. The Warriors host Stanford in three exhibition matches next week in Klum Gym.

UH booked for tourney

Hawaii has sold out its allotment of tickets for next week's Western Athletic Conference women's volleyball tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Fans wishing to purchase either all-tournament passes or single-session passes should visit the arena Web site at OrleansArena.com or call toll free at 888-234-2334.

All-session passes are $45, with single-session tickets at $20 for adults and $10 for students and youth. There is no charge for children 2 and under.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the arena box office.

No. 3 Hawaii is the top seed and has a bye into Tuesday's semifinals. Play begins with two matches Monday and concludes with Wednesday's championship match.

By the Numbers

3: Games played for the Grizzlies by Allen Iverson before being waived. In the three games, he averaged 12.3 points and 22.3 minutes coming off the bench.

24-33: Dick Jauron's record as coach of the Bills when he was fired yesterday. The team has not made the playoffs since 1999.

11: Total margin of defeat for the Patriots in their three losses.

30.1: Million Americans who played tennis at least once this year, a 12 percent increase from 2008 and up 25 percent from six years ago.