Rainbow Wahine third in final poll

Hawaii's final volleyball ranking matched its national finish, according to the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll released yesterday.

The Rainbow Wahine (32-3), who lost to eventual national champion Penn State last Thursday, received 1,380 points in the last poll of the season. It was Hawaii's best final ranking since 2003 when the Wahine shared third place.

Penn State (38-0), which won an unprecedented third consecutive title on Saturday, was the unanimous No. 1 choice. Runner-up Texas (29-2) was second. Minnesota (28-9), which lost to the Longhorns in Thursday's other semifinal, was fourth.

Rounding out the top 10 are Nebraska (26-7), Iowa State (27-5), Stanford (23-8), Cal (21-11), Michigan (27-10) and Illinois (26-6).

Hawaii-Hilo beats Grace College

Justin Smith scored 22 points to lead host Hawaii-Hilo past Grace Bible College 78-71 last night.

The Vulcans improved to 5-4. The Tigers, led by Allen Durham with 21, fell to 12-8.