SPORTSCOPE : Bruins to Host Stanford and Pepperdine in Water Polo

The UCLA water polo team (21-6 overall and 1-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference) will play host to No. 2 Stanford at 11 a.m. Saturday and to No. 5 Pepperdine at noon Sunday at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.

Last week UCLA lost its third consecutive match, falling to No. 1 California, 9-5. UCLA goalkeeper Danny Hackett had seven saves against Cal.

Pepperdine (19-8 overall and 8-1 in the Big West Conference) has won 13 of 14 matches. Last week the Waves won conference matches against Fresno State, 13-7; Pacific, 12-9, and UC Irvine, 11-8.

The top-ranked UCLA women’s volleyball team (23-1 overall and 13-0 in the Pac-10 as the week began) will play host to Arizona State (15-13, 6-9) at 7 p.m. Friday and to Arizona (16-10, 7-8) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the John Wooden Center.

Last week the Bruins extended their winning streak to 20 matches by defeating defending NCAA champion Cal State Long Beach in four games and No. 2 Hawaii in five games at the first Pac-10/Big West Conference tournament. UCLA’s Natalie Williams was named the tournament’s most valuable player and the Pac-10 player of the week after she had 53 kills, 20 digs, 25 blocks and hit .400 in the tournament. Members of the all-tournament team included UCLA’s Jenny Evans and Marissa Hatchett.

The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team (19-5 and 10-0 in the West Coast Conference as the week began), ranked No. 9 by Volleyball Monthly and No. 10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll, will play host to Loyola Marymount (15-13, 7-3) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse.

The Waves, winners of five consecutive matches and 12 of 14, defeated Loyola last week in four games. Lesli Asplund led Pepperdine with 14 kills, 17 digs and two service aces.

The UCLA men’s soccer team (15-1-4) has a bye in the first round of the NCAA playoffs this weekend. The Bruins will play host to the winner of a first-round match between the University of San Diego and Portland in the second round at 1 p.m. on Nov. 18 at the North Soccer Field on campus.

Last week UCLA ended the season with a 1-1 overtime tie against San Diego State. Jorge Salcedo scored UCLA’s goal and Bruin goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who has a goals-against average of 0.67, had eight saves. Billy Thompson leads the team with 41 points on 17 goals and seven assists, and Joe-Max Moore is second with 29 points on 10 goals and nine assists.

Charles Sands will begin his 22nd season as coach of the West Los Angeles College basketball team when his Oilers open against Fort Irwin in the Barstow Tournament at 6:30 tonight. The tournament runs through Saturday.

Sands has only two players back from last season’s team, which finished 11-20: guard Booker Waugh, who averaged 14.5 points a game, and guard Vince Williams, who led the team in assists with a 4.4 while playing only 16 minutes a game.

Forward Bryce Jackson, who played for the Oilers in the 1988-89 season but not last year, has joined the team. Freshmen include forward Reece Stovall from Hamilton High and guard Mike Mulligan from Westchester High.

The UCLA men’s and women’s basketball teams will play host to Athletes in Action tonight at Pauley Pavilion. The women will play at 5:15 and the men at 7:30.

The Pepperdine men’s basketball team will play an exhibition game against Australia’s Sydney Kings at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Firestone Fieldhouse. Last week the Waves lost an exhibition to High Five America, 108-85. Pepperdine forward Geoff Lear led all scorers with 33 points.

The Pepperdine women’s swim team will open the season by playing host to Pomona Pitzer at 11 a.m. Saturday at Raleigh Runnels Pool.

Coach Tim Elson has 14 letter winners from last season’s team, which finished third in the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference. Wave seniors include Kristen Berryman, Jill Keenan, Kristen McCary, Jeryll Reed and Kirsten Sutter.

The UCLA men’s swim team will play host to defending NCAA champion Texas at noon Saturday at the men’s gymnasium pool.

Last week the Bruin men and women defeated Mission Viejo, the men by a 113-79 score and the women by 137-62. UCLA double winners were Sherry Smith in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:23.72 and the 400 freestyle in 4:33.21 and Byron Davis in the 100 free in 54.37 and the 50 free in 23.97.

The UCLA women’s and men’s cross-country teams will compete Saturday in the NCAA District 8 Championships in Fresno. The women will start at 10:30 a.m. and the men at 11:15.

The top women’s teams include No. 5 UC Irvine and No. 7 Oregon. Favorites in the men’s race include Oregon, Arizona, Irvine and Fresno State.

Nicole Nugent, UCLA’s top woman runner, sprained an ankle while training and is questionable for the meet.

Howard Joffe, Ashley Naumann, Cary Lothringer and Ari Nathan are among tennis players from the Pepperdine men’s team who will compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Assn. District 8 Regional Championships that begin today at UC Irvine.