Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 2, 1998

Sidelines

Monday, Arizona Athletics will participate in the 11th annual National Student-Athlete Day.

The nationwide celebration honors collegiate and high school student athletes who show strong academic standing and excel in service to their communities.

The program, co-sponsored by the NCAA, was created by Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society and the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.

The entire day will be dedicated to promoting continued support of all student athlete opportunities as well as honoring the efforts of people and organizations that are instrumental in the successes of student athletes.

Briefly

Tomorrow kicks off the first full field event of the season for the Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour.

The 1998 Miller Lite/AVP Tour, which visits 22 cities and 13 states during its six-month season, returns to Tucson for the first time since 1989 for the $75,000 Miller Lite Open.

The world's top professional beach volleyball players will be on hand, including 1997 Phoenix Open winners Kent Steffes and Jose Loiola, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Karch Kiraly and Silver Medalist Mike Whitmarsh.

The three-day event takes place at Tucson's Sportspark of America starting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and continuing through Saturday and Sunday. The Championship match begins at 11:30 on Sunday.

Injury update.

Women's basketball senior center Marte Alexander will have surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in three to four weeks according to UA associate head coach Tracy Waites.

Alexander, who was hurt during the Wildcats' season-ending loss to Connecticut in last month's Sweet Sixteen, also tore her medial collateral ligament and is walking on crutches until swelling in her knee goes down and doctors can operate.

Alexander was second on the Wildcats in both scoring and rebounding during the regular season with 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game and set a school record for career blocks with 121.

By The Numbers

6:

The final ranking of the UA men's basketball team according to the USA Today's final poll. Meanwhile, the Wildcat women's team finished ninth.