Orange County Roundup : U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team to Play Japan

The U.S. women’s national volleyball team will play host to Japan at 7:30 Monday in the Anaheim Convention Center in the third of a five-match series.

The U.S. team features only one holdover--setter Kim Ruddins of USC--from the 1984 Olympic team that won a silver medal. The team features 17-year-old sensation Keba Phipps, a 6-foot 3-inch middleblocker, who is the team’s youngest player.

“Keba has the potential to become the greatest player ever produced in this country,” said Terry Liskevych, the national team coach. “She has decided to skip college and train with the national team for the 1988 Olympics.”

The U.S. women have won only one tour against Japan since 1980. The Japanese team features four players who competed in the 1984 Olympics.

Liskevych, who formerly coached at the University of the Pacific, rated China, Cuba, the Soviet Union and Peru as the world’s top four teams.

“We’re a young team, but everyone expects us to win because we’re the U.S.A.,” he said. “We will be a good team by the middle of 1987, but we may not be among the top four teams.

“Japan has a very good team. Realistically, I would be very happy going 2-3 against them on this tour.”

The Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer team will play for an automatic berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament tonight when the Titans play host to Nevada las Vegas in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. match starting at 7:30.

Fullerton (3-1, 6-9-2) defeated Fresno State (4-1 in the PCAA), 2-1, last Friday and would advance with a victory on the basis of head-to-head competition. If Fullerton loses, the Bulldogs will earn the playoff berth.

The 36th running of the $258,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity for 2-year-olds will be held Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course. Ten entries will race for the $116,100 first prize in the 350-yard race. The futurity will be the ninth race of Saturday’s program. First post time is 7:30.

Florentine and Cabachon established themselves as pre-race favorites with strong performances in preliminary heats.

Florentine, the fastest qualifier at 17.76, was fifth in the $800,000 Denim N Diamonds Futurity at Hollywood Park. All-time leading stakes jockey Kenneth Hart will be aboard. Cabachon, second-fastest qualifier at 17.81, will have John Creager aboard.

Both horses are trained by Russell Harris. Los Alamitos’ all-time winning trainer, Blane Schvaneveldt, is represented by Everest, Striving For Gold, Satin Steel and Moonlight Casanova.

The complete field (in order of qualifying time): Florentine (17.76), Cabachon (17.81), Sexy Socialite (17.83), Everest (17.87), Sweet Catch (17.89), Silly Doc (17.92), Call A Victory (17.92), Striding For Gold (17.94), Satin Steel (17.95) and Moonlight Casanova (17.96).

The UC Irvine water polo team, ranked No. 7 in the nation, will compete in the prestigious 49er Water Polo Invitational Saturday and Sunday in Belmont Plaza Pool at Long Beach.

The tournament features eight of the country’s top 10 teams, including No. 1 Stanford (25-0), which defeated Irvine last season in the NCAA championship final.

Also competing in the tournament are California (No. 2), UCLA (No. 3), USC (No. 5), Cal State Long Beach (No. 6), UC Santa Barbara (No. 8), Fresno State (No. 10) and UC San Diego (No. 13).

Competition begins at 8 a.m. For ticket information, call (213) 498-4949.

The 12th annual Steve Garvey Celebrity Tennis Tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday at the John Wayne Tennis Club in Newport Beach.

The event, which benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Society, begins preliminary competition Saturday and will have final-round matches on Sunday.

In addition to Garvey, who serves as the national campaign chairman for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, those scheduled to appear include Bruce Jenner, Orel Hershiser, Steve Sax, Tracy Austin and Bob Seagren.

The tournament has raised nearly $750,000 since its inception in 1974. For further information, call 633-9391.

The Chapman College men’s tennis team is ranked third in the 1986-87 ITCA-NCAA Division II preseason poll.

The Panthers, Division II national champions in 1984-85, lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 5-4, in the last season’s final.

UC Davis is ranked first and Hampton University second.

Four Chapman singles players are ranked among the top 50: Paul Wakesa (No. 7), Olivier Amerlinck (No. 8), David Seline (No. 46) and Paul Charlesworth (No. 50). Amerlinck and Charlesworth are seventh in doubles and Wakesa and Barry Hancock are 11th.

The Panthers open the season Jan. 30 at USC.

The UC Irvine women’s swimming team opens the 1986-87 season Saturday against UC San Diego in Crawford Pool at UCI. Last season’s team was 3-10 in dual-meet competition and sixth in the PCAA meet. Coach Charlie Schober is counting on seniors Lee McKinney and Jennifer Luhn and sophomores Amy Luhn and Heidi Werstler.

Around the Area

Southern California Over-The-Line is accepting teams for the sixth annual Halloween Grass Tournament at Cerritos High School on Saturday Entry fee is $24 a team and all teams are guaranteed to play at least four games. There will men’s and women’s divisions, and competition will begin at 9 a.m. To reserve a spot, call (213) 630-2298 . . . Martin Swanson of Huntington Beach will be the team manager on the United States Archery team in the Pan-American games.