Slater claims eighth victory at Pipeline

Days ahead of his 50th birthday, Kelly Slater claimed his eighth victory at the Billabong Pro Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore, defeating Hawaii’s Seth Moniz in the final.

In 6- to 8-foot waves, Slater defeated Moniz 18.77 to 12.53 in the final. Slater took control early with a 9.00 on his third wave, then capped his day with a 9.77 on his final wave. Moniz had a 9.43 on his final wave, but it was not enough to catch Slater.

Moniz upset fellow Hawaii native John John Florence in the quarterfinals, edging out a 17.93-16.67 win, then topped Brazil’s Caio Ibelli in the semifinals. Slater defeated Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi and Brazil’s Miguel Pupo en route to the final.

The women’s event is on call for today, with Hawaii’s Moana Jones Wong and Carissa Moore looking to win their respective semifinals.

Hittle named head coach in Colorado

Former Rainbow Wahine volleyball player Tara Hittle has been named the Colorado-Colorado Springs head volleyball coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Hittle, a native of Colorado Springs, played volleyball at UH from 2004 to 2008, helping the Rainbow Wahine to four NCAA Tournament appearances. A three-year team captain, Hittle earned All-WAC honors at three different positions – outside hitter, right side and libero.

Azusa Pacific tops HPU in hoops

The Hawaii Pacific men’s and women’s basketball teams both fell against visiting Azusa Pacific on Saturday, with the men losing 58-54 and the women 81-64 at the Shark Tank.

The women took the floor first, and the No. 3 Cougars (17-1, 13-0 PacWest) led wire-to-wire against the Sharks (4-13, 1-9). HPU was led by Avery Cargill with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Jordyn Jensen added 14 points. Azusa Pacific was led by Kayla Shaw’s 20 points, with Molly Whitmore adding 19 points and nine rebounds.

The men hung close with Azusa Pacific, getting within 55-54 with 22 seconds to go, but the Cougars (12-6, 9-2 PacWest) iced the game from the foul line. Colton Martin led HPU (3-16, 0-12) with 11 points. Azusa Pacific was led by Hayden Gray’s 12 points.

HPU splits pair in softball

The Hawaii Pacific softball team split a pair of games on Saturday in the Concordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine, Calif., beating Northwest Nazarene 2-1, then losing 3-0 to CSU Monterey Bay.

HPU’s Taylor Thompson struck out nine to earn the win over Northwest Nazarene (0-4), and the Sharks (4-4) rallied for two runs in the sixth inning to grab the lead.

In the second game, Jensen Main scattered six hits in a complete-game shutout, striking out nine for CSU Monterey Bay (4-0).