Selections released today. As expected, UCLA is the #2 seed, behind Stanford.

In the other thread, I said there were two at-large bids. Turns out there were actually three. So, both USC and Cal got at-large berths.

UCLA will open with Loyola Marymount, which I don’t really understand. LMU is ranked #9, while USC who is seeded third opens with 15th ranked Harvard. Either way, fully expect the semi finals will be UCLA-USC and Stanford vs. Hawaii or Cal.

Tournament is next week, Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 in Indianapolis. 1st round and semi finals are streamed on ncaa.com. The championship match will be on Sunday, May 10 at 9:00am, and televised on ESPNU.

Bundesliga International and telecommunications firm China Mobile Migu have committed to working together in a host of areas including the development of broadcast technology and the use of virtual reality.

The two organisations launched a joint declaration of intent yesterday in Frankfurt, formalising both sides’ commitment to strengthening their partnership across a broad range of areas.

China Mobile is one of the world’s biggest mobile coverage providers, with more than one billion customers. Bundesliga broadcast partner Migu is a wholly owned digital content subsidiary of China Mobile and the premier sports content streaming platform in China.

Bundesliga described it as a market leader in premium sports rights content, providing a “best-in-class streaming experience”.

As part of the joint declaration, Bundesliga International and China Mobile Migu will work together further in areas of media rights distribution, broadcast technology and innovations, such as the use of virtual reality, content, technology and innovation.

“The Bundesliga stands as one of the most popular leagues in the world, not least because of its efforts on and off the pitch,” said Peer Naubert, managing director and chief marketing officer of Bundesliga International.

“Bundesliga Legends such as Yang Chen and Jiayi Shao were trailblazers for football in China, but off the pitch we are creating experiences for Chinese fans that we hope last a lifetime.

“Our long-term ambition is to support the development of football in China. We are proud to share that vision and work collaboratively with China Mobile and Migu. We are excited for the future of Chinese football.”

The agreement will also look to grow football in China and further foster the Chinese football culture, with a range of marketing and club-related initiatives to bring the Bundesliga closer to Chinese football fans.

“Bundesliga is recognised as a leader in innovation and one of the world’s best football leagues, with a loyal and passionate fanbase and we believe there is a lot we can gain through our deeper cooperation,” said Wenhai Shen, chairman of China Mobile Migu.

“We hope that the partnership can help us in the further development of a healthy and sustainable football culture in China and also introduce new innovative services that can thrill and delight Chinese football fans.

“The collaboration between China Mobile Migu and the Bundesliga represents a powerhouse alliance between a leading sports platform and a world-class football league. We will leverage live broadcasting as the core to deliver comprehensive media content, drive multi-scenario smart experiences through technological innovation, and harness the synergy of ‘content + technology + integrated innovation’ to redefine the future of football engagement.”

The562’s Athletes of the Week is sponsored by the Long Beach Century Club.

Congratulations to our Athletes of the Week and thanks to the Long Beach Century Club and Naples Rib Company for their support.

HIGH SCHOOL

Peyton Agura/Dani Dobie, Wilson Volleyball

It was only their third time playing together this year, but WIlson’s Payton Agura and Dani Dobie got it done for the Bruins in their second round playoff match. They came up with the clinching point on court two to advance the Bruins to this week’s quarterfinals.

Giselle Millsap/Taimane Poe, Long Beach Poly Volleyball

They were playing together for just the second time this year, but after being thrown together on the second court Long Beach Poly’s Giselle Millsap and Taimane Poe got it done. The duo came up with the court two sweep to lift Poly to a 3-2 second-round playoff win.

Emoni Lam Sam, Long Beach Poly Softball

Long Beach Poly’s Emoni Lam Sam delivered a clutch RBI for the Jackrabbits in their extra-innings win over Wilson last week. The Cal commit was also filling in at first base for the first time, and excelled defensively.

Ben Keisler, Millikan Baseball

Ben Keisler had three of Millikan’s eight hits over Long Beach Poly, including an RBI single and a double in the first two innings of the game, as the Rams opened up a lead the Jackrabbits weren’t able to overcome.

Ben Howard, Wilson Baseball

Wilson ace Ben Howard continued his excellent season last week with a complete game five-hit shutout over Lakewood, which keeps the Bruins in first place in the Moore League as we round into the home stretch before the playoffs.

Talin Velazquez, Jordan Baseball

Jordan continues to play solid baseball and close in on a potential playoff berth this year. Catcher Talin Velazquez came up big for them in a win over Compton last week going 2/4 with an in inside the park homerun and four RBIs in the game.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Incoming freshman opposite/outside hitter Charlotte Vinson was named among 18 athletes on the 2025 Girls USA U19 National Team, as announced by USA Volleyball on Monday (April 28) afternoon. She was one of seven pin hitters selected.
 
This group of players have been selected as the preliminary roster for this summer’s FIVB Girls U19 World Championships in Croatia and Serbia. After the initial training block, a final group of 12 players will be picked to represent Team USA in its title defense this summer.
 
Vinson will be making her debut with Team USA after spending many years in the national team youth development program. The Yorktown, Indiana native has had a journey that’s been well documented over the years. She overcame a life-threatening illness during her junior year of high school but has made a full recovery during her final season of club volleyball.
 
She will head to Colorado Springs for the first training block with the team during the first week of June. From there, a group of 12 players will be selected to head to Europe. That crop of athletes will have a second training block in the Netherlands before the U19 World Championships in July.
 
Vinson, the 2024 Indiana Ms. Volleyball, was a consensus top-25 recruit by both Prep Volleyball and Prep Dig. She is joined in an elite class by the likes of outside hitter Jaidyn Jager (Carlsbad, Calif.) and middle blocker Victoria Gray (Temperance, Mich). IU’s entire freshman class will report to campus this summer.
 
Team USA is in Pool C along with Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland, Peru and Spain in the 24-team tournament this summer. It won the last iteration of the tournament in 2023 with a 3-2 win over Turkey in the final. Former IU outside hitter Mady Saris (Canada) played in the 2019 tournament in Egypt.

HONOLULU — One year ago, the Hawaii water polo team’s run to the national semifinals ended in frustrating fashion at the hands of California.

The Rainbow Wahine earned the opportunity to get back to that point and pick up some payback in the process.

UH, just a few hours after arriving back in the islands from their successful trip to Irvine, Calif., for the Big West tournament title and automatic NCAA Tournament berth, took in the national selection show from the Manoa Lower Campus and learned their placement in the nine-team Indianapolis, Ind., bracket.

First-year head coach James Robinson and his mix of veterans and precocious youngsters were seeded fourth, which drew some polite applause. Then they learned they were matched up with Cal, and some murmuring ensued.

“This is where we wanted to be,” Robinson said of his team’s seeding. “It’s awesome that we’re here now. It’s not where we want to finish, right?”

UH was the second seed in Maureen Cole’s final season when it lost 9-6 to Cal in the program’s first NCAA semifinal appearance since 2013, in which the Wahine converted only two of 17 power play opportunities.

“I don’t think that’s a game that we will forget,” said sophomore goalkeeper Daisy Logtens, who was just named Big West tournament Most Valuable Player for recording 14 saves in the final against Long Beach State. “But yeah, it’s nice to play them again. Try and get revenge, obviously.”

The Wahine got a smaller measure of payback by edging Cal 12-11 in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 22.

UH (21-4) also had a marquee win over UCLA on its resume from the same early-season event.

The Golden Bears (19-5) have proven they compile goals in bunches, failing to reach double digits on the scoreboard only three times in 24 matches. They lost to top-ranked UCLA by only a goal in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals and then beat No. 2 USC by a goal in the conference third-place game.

UH has succeeded by leaning into its defense and counterattacking ability. It held opponents to fewer than 10 goals 16 times.

Stanford was the No. 1 seed, UCLA the 2 and USC the 3. Those three schools have combined for all the NCAA women’s water polo championships.

Should UH get past Cal at IUPUI’s IU Natatorium, it is almost certainly looking at a semifinal matchup with Stanford (22-1). The Cardinal will play the winner of a May 7 play-in game between Wagner (21-8) and McKendree (21-7).

“It takes trusting in the process of what we’ve done this whole the whole fall, the whole semester, the whole season,” said senior Jordan Wedderburn, “and just trusting in James, trusting in each other, and trusting in everything that we’ve done and everything that we’ve built together. Just having faith that in the end, everyone’s going to give it their all.”

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.