College update: Burroughs players excelling in volleyball, soccer
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Dani Gonzalez (Burroughs High, 2014) freshman, California Lutheran University women’s volleyball: The former all-league and All-Area player is contributing to a Regals team that remains ranked among the top 10 in the nation.
Cal Lutheran remains unbeaten in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Heading into a Tuesday evening match at Occidental College, the Regals are 13-2, 3-0 in conference and ranked No. 7 by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn.
Cal Lutheran won a battle of top-10 ranked teams when it swept No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 25-22, 25-14, 25-15, in a conference contest Saturday.
Gonzalez, a libero, has seen playing time in 10 matches this season. Along with 28 digs, she has tallied eight assists. The sophomore’s best performance this season came Sept. 12 when she had 14 digs in a sweep of Life Pacific College. She also collected nine digs Sept. 11 in a three-game win against Providence Christian College.
The Regals will be back in action at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Chapman College.
Haley O’Brien (Burroughs High) senior, UC Irvine women’s soccer: O’Brien, who played three seasons for the Indians, has remained a valuable part of the Anteaters defense for her senior season.
She is again seeing substantial playing time after appearing and starting in all the team’s 19 matches last season as a junior. O’Brien has been a mainstay in the backfield during her tenure with the Anteaters, playing in 16 contests as a sophomore and 21 as a freshman, when she led the team with 1,989 minutes played.
This season, O’Brien has played in eight of 11 matches, starting seven and has two shots.
It has been an up and down season for UC Irvine, which stands at 4-6-1. The Anteaters are coming off of a 4-0 loss Friday at home against Santa Clara.
The Anteaters open Big West Conference play at 1 p.m. Sunday when they host UC Riverside.
Brittany Mata (Burroughs High, 2013) UC Riverside soccer sophomore: The forward is making her presence known this season for the Highlanders.
Mata is currently tied for fourth on the team with four points. She has one goal and seven shots to go along with two assists. Her goal came Aug. 23 in a 3-1 victory against Liberty College. Her assists came Sept. 2 in a 2-0 win against Houston Baptist and Sept. 6 in a 3-0 victory over Cal State University Bakersfield.
UC Riverside moved back over the .500 mark Sunday when it earned a 1-0 road win at North Dakota State. Blanca Barrio provided UC Riverside with all the offense it would need in the 26th minute when she converted a penalty kick. The victory improved the Highlanders to 6-5-0, and concluded the team’s nonconference schedule.
The Highlanders open Big West Conference play at 1 p.m. Sunday when they travel to UC Irvine.
Katie Rutecki (Burroughs High, 2014) sophomore, College of the Canyons women’s volleyball: Rutecki, a setter, has played a big part in the success this season for the Cougars, ranked No. 3 by the California Community College Athletic Assn.
College of the Canyons improved to 10-1 with a 25-19, 25-16, 25-9 win Sept. 23 against visiting Cuesta College. Rutecki had 21 assists, three kills, one dig and one block in the victory.
On the season, Rutecki, who has seen time in all 11 matches, leads the team in assists with 342. In addition, she has 32 kills, 66 digs and 11 blocks.
The Cougars will return to action at 6 p.m. on Wednesday when they travel to No. 4 Santa Barbara City College to play in the finale of the annual Western State Conference Crossover Series featuring teams from the conference’s North and South divisions. The team will return home Friday for its WSC opener when it hosts Antelope Valley College in a 6 p.m. contest.