SportsScope : Bruins and Waves Launch Drives for National Spiker Title

The UCLA and Pepperdine women’s volleyball teams will play first-round matches in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

The fifth-ranked Bruins (27-9), making their 18th straight appearance in postseason competition, will play host to No. 19 California at 7:30 p.m. Friday at John Wooden Center. UCLA has won four national championships, the last in 1984.

The No. 17 Waves (19-11) will face No. 4 Brigham Young (32-4) at 6:30 p.m. (PST) Saturday at Provo, Utah. Pepperdine won the West Coast Athletic Conference with a 14-0 record.

UCLA is led by senior outside hitter Lori Zenio, sophomore middle blocker Daiva Tomkus and junior setter Ann Boyer. The Bruins have won all three of their matches with Cal this season.

Top players for the Waves are outside hitters Julie Evans, a senior, and Barbara Blizzard, a freshman, and senior setter Lee Hoven. In its only match against BYU this season, Pepperdine lost, 10-15, 15-1, 15-4, 15-8 in Malibu.

The 40th running of Culver City’s Western Hemisphere Marathon will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday at Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Ave.

The event is the oldest consecutively marathon in the state and second-oldest in the United States after the Boston Marathon. It is the first marathon that invited women runners.

Trophies go to the first four runners and also to the first three women. The run is under auspices of the Culver City Department of Human Services. Sponsors are Jason Natural Cosmetics and Rainbow Acres Natural Foods.

The UCLA men’s and women’s track teams will play host for their fourth annual fall invitational meet Sunday at Drake Stadium. Field events start at 1 p.m. and races at 1:30.

Two freshman recruits for Coach Bob Larsen’s UCLA men’s team, defending NCAA champion, were named All-American preps in the November edition of Track and Field News: Kami Keshmiri of Reno, the national high school record holder in the discus, and Steve Lewis of Fremont, Calif., who last season ranked second in the nation in the 400-meter run.

The UCLA women’s basketball team, 2-1 after finishing fifth in last week’s University of Hawaii tournament, will play at Cal State Long Beach, ranked fourth nationally in preseason, at 7:30 tonight. The 49ers will be opening their season.

UCLA opened the tournament by losing to Stephen F. Austin, 71-61, but came back to defeat Northern Arizona, 77-37, and Cal, 75-50. Bruin Dora Dome was named to the all-tourney team.

The UCLA women’s swim team (4-1) will play host to defending national champion Texas at 2 p.m. Friday at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.

St. Monica High School will hold its 25th annual basketball tournament today through Saturday at the school, 1030 Lincoln Blvd.

In first-round games, Locke will meet Crossroads at 3:15 p.m., Venice faces Morningside at 5, Reseda goes against Fremont at 6:45 and the Mariners will meet Hollywood at 8:30.

Friday’s second-round games will run on the same schedule. On Saturday, the consolation game will start at 4:30 p.m., the third-place game at 6:15 and the championship game at 8.

Pepperdine junior Sasa Poljak was named to the All-Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. first team in water polo. The second team includes Pepperdine senior Aaron Chasen and junior teammate Rafael Gandarillas.

Santa Monica College sophomore wide receiver Demetrius Smith was a unanimous selection by coaches for the All-Western State Conference football first team both as a receiver and as a punt and kickoff returner. Smith is a repeat selection from last year.

Corsairs Heston Silbert, a sophomore offensive lineman, and Pat Workun, a sophomore linebacker, were also named to the all-conference first team. Second-team selections, all sophomores, from SMC are offensive lineman Dale Evans, running back Shelton Trosclair, linebacker Glen Ewing and defensive back Marcus Bowen.

Honorable mention went to the following Corsairs: sophomore offensive lineman Fred Clark, sophomore tight end Robert Ervin, freshman running back William Harris, freshman quarterback Daryl Hobbs, freshman defensive lineman Ron Walker and freshman defensive back Hamid Wadood.

Santa Monica College volleyball players Stacy Schipper and Amy Prout tied for the Western State Conference lead in kill percentage at .426. The Corsairs won the Western State Conference with a 17-1 record.

Schipper led the conference in blocks with 98, and she and Prout tied for fourth in aces, each with 35. In total kills, Schipper was fifth with 184 and Prout eighth with 158.