Latest Venice Volleyball

The University of Hawaii (32-2) clinched the last spot in this week's NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four with Saturday's late-night sweep of Michigan to win the Stanford Regional.

Hawaii, the No. 12-seeded team, will meet No. 1-seeded Penn State (36-0) in Thursday night's semifinals at the St. Pete Times Forum. Penn State, the two-time defending national champion, enters with a 100-match winning streak.

The opening semifinal, at 7 p.m. Thursday, matches No. 2-seeded Texas (28-1) against No. 11 Minnesota (28-8), which features senior defensive specialist Christine Tan, a graduate of Palm Harbor University High School.

Hawaii and Penn State will follow at 9 p.m.

Semifinals are Thursday night at 7 and 9. The championship match is Saturday night at 8. All Final Four matches are televised on ESPN2.

Tickets for the event are $60. For information, call (813) 301-2500 or log onto www.sptimesforum.com.