Loyola Marymount Women Spikers Will Take On Stanford in NCAA Tourney

After a stunning upset of UCLA last week, the Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball team advances to the NCAA West Regional Tournament and will meet Stanford tonight at Brigham Young.

If the Lions (24-7) get by Stanford, 22-9 and the Pac-10 Conference runner-up to UCLA, they will play in Friday night’s championship game against the winner of the BYU-Arizona State match. The NCAA finals will begin Wednesday at University of the Pacific.

Coach Nancy Fortner’s Lions lost the first two games to UCLA, 15-1 and 15-9, but won the next three, 15-8, 15-12 and 16-14.

Loyola senior setter Andrea Fort was named player of the year in the West Coast Athletic Conference, and Fortner was named coach of the year.

Members of the WCAC first team included Cathy Petrissans of Loyola and Pepperdine’s Julie Evans and Pam Lawrence, who was also named newcomer of the year. Second-team selections included Maryanne Dunn of Loyola and Pepperdine’s Lee Hoven.

Three UCLA players were named to the All-Pac-10 first team: senior Lisa Ettesvold, sophomore Ann Boyer and junior Lori Zeno. UCLA senior Leslie Brewer was named to the second team.

The Pepperdine men’s basketball team, coming off a 95-82 loss to UCLA that was not as close as the score, will try to regroup tonight at 7:30 against Cal State Long Beach at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves then take to the road at Washington State on Saturday night, at Nevada Reno on Monday night and at Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Pepperdine is 2-1. Long Beach improved to 3-2 after a Monday home win over Houston, 71-65. As the week began, Washington State was 2-3, Nevada Reno 2-2 and Fullerton 2-1.

The Bruins gave the Waves lessons on offense and defense last Saturday, leading by 30 points in the first half and shutting down top Pepperdine scorers Eric White and Levy Middlebrooks until the second half. In the first half, White and Middlebrooks were a combined 3 of 17 from the field. Middlebrooks finished with 22 points and a game-high 16 rebounds and White had 14 points.

Craig Davis, a redshirt freshman guard, was a bright spot for the Waves. Davis was 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, and ended the night with 20 points.

In women’s basketball, UCLA (3-0) is at home this weekend for a 2 p.m. game Saturday with the University of San Diego (1-3) at John Wooden Center and a 7:30 p.m. game Sunday against Cal State Long Beach (4-1) at Pauley Pavilion.

Pepperdine (3-2) will play host to Chapman College at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and then hold its own three-team tournament. In 7:30 p.m. tourney games, the Waves open against Utah State on Sunday, Utah State faces Georgia Tech on Monday and Pepperdine and the Yellow Jackets meet Tuesday.

Loyola Marymount (2-3) will play host to Southern California College at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gersten Pavilion and be at UC Riverside at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Dora Dome leads the Bruins in scoring with an average of 19 points a game and freshman Sandra VanEmbricqs leads in rebounding with 9.7-a-game average.

Pepperdine junior center Earnesta Grace was named the most valuable player of the San Jose State tournament, won by the Waves, and sophomore guard Stephanie Meneze was selected for the all-tourney team.

In a 72-66 victory over Cal State Stanislaus and a 76-66 loss to University of the Pacific, Loyola guard Sylvia Bauer and center Chris Connolly each averaged 17 points.

Senior outside hitter Loren Montgomery was named the most valuable volleyball player in the CIF-Southern Section 1-A Division after she led the Eagles to the championship.

First-team 1-A selections included senior Kelly Sather of Brentwood and senior Laura Leaton of St. Monica, and second-team picks included Brentwood seniors Kristen Jacobsmeyer and Cindy Maloney and juniors Megan Cleary of St. Monica and Julie Glenn of St. Bernard.

In 4-A, first-team selections included junior Kristen Klein of Marymount and Missy Kurt of Notre Dame Academy, and a second-teamer was Marlborough senior Stacey Anderson.

In the pre-season poll of the Southern California High School Soccer Coaches Assn., Santa Monica was ranked third and Culver City fourth in the 4-A Division.

The Venice High School soccer team clinched the Western League championship with a 1-0 victory over Westchester. At the start of the week, Venice was 8-0 in league play with two games to play.

In the eight league matches, scoring leaders for the Gondoliers were senior midfielder Fabrizio Luppi with six goals and four assists, senior forward Luis Lopez with five goals and two assists and senior forward Jose Guerra with five goals.

Junior goalie Jorge Leal turned in seven shutouts and allowed only one goal the the eight matches.

Other regulars are senior sweeper Daniel Behrendt and junior defenders Mark Castberg, Jorge Cortez and Iggy Jiminez, along with junior midfielder Hugo Fletes, senior midfielder Mario Moreno and sophomore forward Jose Lopez.

Venice begins playoff action Jan. 8.