ISLE FILE
Three 'Aiea football players will play in S. Dakota
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three 'Aiea football players will remain teammates in college this fall.
Quarterback Kali Kuia and offensive linemen Chris Anakalea and Nikova Sueoka have given verbal commitments to play at NCAA Division II Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., Na Ali'i coach Wendell Say said. The Wolves play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
"They were looking at Kali and saw the two other guys (the linemen)," Say said. "They feel (Kali) can start right away. They run the same type of offense like us, so he should fit in right away. The coach has been calling me everyday. They felt he could start over their starter. Kali is more mobile and he has a good concept of the offense."
Kuia, who is listed at 5 feet 11 and 180 pounds, was an Advertiser second-team all-state selection, as well as an second-team O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West pick. Kuia completed 189-of-332 passes for 2,673 yards and 22 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 111 yards and one TD.
Say said Anakalea (6-1, 295), a second-team Red West selection, and Sueoka (6-2, 270) weren't being recruited until Northern State saw them. Say said Anakalea was considering attending a junior college, while Sueoka considered walking on at Hawai'i.
"With the full ride, they jumped at the chance," Say said. "And they'll all be together."
Northern State returns one Hawai'i player. Saint Louis alumnus Una Latu, a defensive back, was an all-conference selection last season for the Wolves after transferring from Orange Coast College.
TENNIS
GOLDSTEIN OUSTED IN WAIKOLOA QUARTERFINAL
Hyung Taik Lee defeated defending champion Paul Goldstein, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals of the Hilton Waikoloa USTA Challenger yesterday on the Big Island.
Defending women's champion Marie Eve Pelletier advanced to the semifinals with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Maria Emillia Salerni.
In other men's quarterfinal matches, Hsun Yuen Lu defeated Bjorn Phau, 6-4, 6-4; Bobby Reynolds defeated Dominink Meffert, 6-2, retired and Frank Dancevic defeated Rik De Voest, 7-6 (1), 5-7, 6-3.
In the women's quarterfinals, Edina Gallovits defeated Maria Fernand Alves, 6-1, 7-6 (9), Jessica Kirkland defeated Valentina Sassi, 6-4, 6-2 and Lilia Osterloh defeated Chin Wei Chan, 6-2, 6-4.
VOLLEYBALL
KAMEHAMEHA PLAYER GETS NATIONAL HONOR
Kanani Herring, who led Kamehameha Schools to the 2005 state high school championship, is PrepVolleyball.com's choice as national Sophomore of the Year. Herring is the first Hawai'i player to be honored since the site started naming senior, junior, sophomore and freshman players of the year in 2000.
Herring, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, sat her freshman season out after transferring from Word of Life. She was The Honolulu Advertiser's State Player of the Year in her first year of competition.
Herring initially caught PrepVolleyball.com's eye in July when she was named MVP of the Youth National Division at the High Performance championships in Austin, Texas, while playing for the USAV High Performance Red team. She was a primary passer for Kamehameha and averaged 4.3 kills, 3.7 digs and more than one block a game.
WATER POLO
RAINBOW WAHINE NO. 4 IN PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i's Rainbow Wahine water polo team, coming off a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, is ranked fourth in the 2006 National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Preseason Poll.
The Rainbow Wahine were 21-11 last year. They finished fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season and at the MPSF Championship before making their first NCAA Championship appearance, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Defending NCAA champion UCLA is ranked first, followed by Southern California and Stanford. Hawai'i and Michigan (8) are the only Top 10 teams not from California.
UH coach Michel Roy begins his fourth season and has a solid nucleus returning from last year's team.
UH opens the 2006 season at Pacific and California, Feb. 9 and 10. It plays in the Stanford Tournament Feb. 11 and 12. Hawai'i's first home match is March 11 against UC Irvine.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
