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Hawaii women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman was relieved to talk about something else.
With Sunday’s postgame fan brawl at the Stan Sheriff Center still dominating headlines, the Rainbow Wahine went ahead in announcing on Wednesday four early-period signees for the 2014-15 season.
They are 5-9 guard Kandiss Barber, 5-8 guard Jasmine Redmon, 5-10 guard Sarah Toeaina and 6-2 forward Dalayna Sampton. All four hail from West Coast high schools.
"We really felt like we had time to recruit a really good class," Beeman said. "And had time to evaluate not only athletic ability but their character, their academics, and felt like this group of four is a very, very good group."
Two post players UH signed for the 2013-14 season who did not qualify academically, Ashley Burchfield and Shawlina Segovia, are tentatively part of UH’s plans for next season as well.
UH will lose guard Sydney Haydel, forward Kamilah Jackson, forward Diane Moore and center Pua Kailiawa to eligibility after this season. Senior wing Shawna Kuehu is a maybe — she’s looking into getting a year of eligibility back.
Toeaina, of Covington, Wash., is the daughter of two former UH athletes. Her mother, Maile (Golden), was a Wahine volleyball player from 1988 to ’91. Her father, Andrew Toeaina, played linebacker on the 1991 UH football team.
She and the other three newcomers are expected to increase the athleticism and versatility of the Wahine.
"Each one comes in with a different skill-set and each one is going to be able to help us in different ways," Beeman said. "Whether it’s from the outside, being able to defend 94 (feet), being able to use them in multiple positions, and overall increasing our athleticism, which is something we need to do to compete in the Big West. So we felt this is a really good group, and to get four to sign was pretty exciting."
The Wahine (3-2) are off from games this week. They resume Nov. 29 against Colorado State in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Kalaheo’s Owens to play for Rainbow Warriors
Kalaheo’s Luke Owens signed a national letter of intent to play for UH in 2015, coach Charlie Wade announced on Wednesday.
Owens, a 6-foot-7 middle blocker, plays for the Mustangs and also for the Kuikahi club team. He was a Honolulu Star-Advertiser Fab 15 selection and All-OIA East first-team pick as a junior last spring.
"We are very excited to have Luke join our team," Wade said. "We got to know him at camp a couple of years ago and were very impressed with his work ethic and determination."
Owens is the team’s first commit for ’15.
SOFTBALL
Coolen adds 3 players to Rainbow Wahine
Softball coach Bob Coolen went to two familiar sources to assemble the program’s latest recruiting class.
Lorena Ruiz, a catcher/third baseman from Chaparral High School in Temecula, Calif., and Australians Amelia Cudicio and Rachel Lack signed to join the Rainbow Wahine for the 2015 season.
Ruiz, whose grandparents live in Hawaii, played club ball for the San Diego Legacy, which also produced current Rainbow Wahine senior outfielder/catcher Sharla Kliebenstein and junior catcher Kayla Wartner.
Cudicio and Lack continue UH’s connection with Australia. They will be the 14th and 15th players in a pipeline that has produced some of the program’s most prolific players, most recently pitcher Kaia Parnaby, who completed her eligibility in the spring by setting school single-season records for wins and strikeouts.
Cudicio, a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher, and Lack, a 5-9 utility player, were teammates on Australia’s Under-19 national team.
Lack recently earned a spot on Australia’s Open national team —along with Parnaby and former UH standouts Clare Warwick and Stacey Porter — after hitting .575 at the U19 level this year. She was the Australian U19 MVP and hit .480 at the U19 World Championships in Toronto this summer.
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