Ogilvy wins by 1 in SBS at Kapalua

By Fred Guzman

MauiNow.com

Rory Sabbatini torched the Plantation Course at Kapalua with a blistering 10-under 63. But it wasn’t enough. His comeback bid from a six-shot deficit going into the final round of the SBS Championship came up just short on Sunday.

Geoff Ogilvy, who won the event by six shots last year, defended his title in sensational fashion – this time winning by a single stroke. The 32-year-old Australian rallied from a two-shot deficit with 10 holes left for a 6-under 67 to finish at 22-under 270.

UH STUNS USC: In most places, the outcome of a volleyball match wouldn’t generate this sort of interest or excitement. But this is Hawaii, where the sport enjoys an exceptional following for both the UH men’s and women’s teams.

So many local fans were glued to their TV sets on Saturday night when Hawaii not only met, but stunned, top-ranked USC before a frenzied crowd at the Stan Sheriff Center.

With left-side hitter Joshua Walker delivering 24 thundering kills, the 12th-ranked Bows posted a 30-21, 24-30, 30-28, 30-23 upset of the Trojans.

UH, USC and No. 5 Penn State each were 2-1 in the three-night round-robin tournament, with No. 10 Ohio State going 0-3. The championship tie-breaker was based on set records, and Hawaii was 8-4, USC 7-5 and Penn State, which beat UH in five games on Friday, was next at 6-6.

Also playing key roles in the victory were freshman opposite hitter Jonas Umlauft with 14 skills and libero Ric Cervantes, who repeatedly kept plays alive and delivered pin-point passes.

New head coach Charlie Wade was delighted with his team’s efforts and UH fans can now raise their expectations after suffering through three straight losing campaigns.

Things don’t get much easier for Hawaii. Next up for the Bows …

UH HOOPS: Both of the UH basketball teams went down to defeat over the weekend. The men try to bounce back from a 78-64 loss at Fresno State when they visit Utah State tonight. The Rainbow Wahine suffered back-to-back routs, falling 73-51 at New Mexico State after being overrun 83-42 at Fresno State. The Rainbow Wahine host Idaho on Wednesday.

PREP RECAP: Lahainaluna did nothing to lessen its status as the state’s second-ranked girls’ hoops team by pummeling Baldwin 73-37, improving to 6-0 in the D-I standings. The Lunas’ only losses this season have been to top-ranked Konawaena.

Baldwin’s soccer teams remain first in MIL D-I soccer. After the Kekaulike boys played to a scoreless tie with Maui High on Friday, the Bears tied 1-1 with D-II leader Seabury on Saturday for a one-point lead over Na Alii. The Baldwin girls beat Seabury 8-0 and are three points up on Kekaulike, which edged Maui High 1-0 on Friday.

Kamehameha-Maui crews took first place in the girls’ and mixed races while Seabury won the boy’s race in Saturday’s MIL canoe regatta.

Lahainaluna continued its dominance in wrestling, winning 10 of 14 individual events in the boy’s division of a meet held in Hana. The Lunas’ girls also won four of 11 events.

NFL: Saving the best for last in a Wild Card weekend that mostly featured one-sided games, Arizona pulled out a 51-45 overtime victory at the expense of the Green Bay Packers as Kurt Warner threw for five touchdown passes. In other games, the New York Jets beat Cincinnati 24-14, Dallas won its first playoff game since 1996 by defeating Philadelphia 34-14 and Baltimore routed New England on the road, 33-14. This week’s matchups: On Saturday, Arizona visits New Orleans and Indianapolis hosts Baltimore. On Sunday, Dallas is at Minnesota and the Jets at San Diego.

(Placeholder image Courtesy:  Kapalua Resort)