SPORTSCOPE : Top-Seeded UCLA Gets Bye in First Round of Playoffs

The UCLA men’s soccer team, the defending NCAA champion and currently ranked 12th nationally, received a bye in this weekend’s first round of the NCAA playoffs.

The Bruins (17-3) are seeded No. 1 in the Far West Region and will play host to the winner of the first-round match between Florida International and Portland in the second round, which will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 24 at the North Soccer Field on campus.

UCLA, which set a school record by reaching the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year, ended the regular season with a nine-game winning streak.

Bruins’ Joe-Max Moore, Cobi Jones, Zak Ibsen and Brad Friedel are among the statistical leaders in the Far West. Friedel is first in the region with a goals-against average of 0.63 a match. In scoring, Moore is second with 41 points (17 goals and seven assists) and Jones and Ibsen are tied for fourth with 31 points each.

The No. 2-ranked Pepperdine water polo team (20-6 overall, 6-2 in the Big West Conference) will play host to UC Santa Barbara (11-17, 1-7) at 3 p.m. Friday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.

The Waves are coming off an 8-4 nonconference victory over Air Force. Pepperdine’s Zachary Holder scored a team-high four goals against the Falcons. Geoffrey Clark leads the Waves with 72 goals.

The No. 3 UCLA water polo team (16-8 overall, 2-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference) will play host to No. 7 USC (12-13, 0-4) at 3 p.m. Friday at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on campus.

Last week the Bruins lost to top-ranked California, 12-4, and to No. 5 Stanford, 8-7. Oliver Wills leads UCLA with 51 goals and Gary O’Brien is second with 41.

The No. 5 UCLA women’s volleyball team (21-4 overall, 13-1 in the Pac-10) will play at No. 1 Stanford (23-0, 14-0) on Friday and at California (10-12, 7-7) on Saturday.

If Stanford beats UCLA, the Cardinal will clinch the Pac-10 title and break the Bruin streak of three consecutive conference championships.

Last week UCLA swept matches with No. 11 USC, No. 19 Washington State and Washington. In the three matches, Bruin Natalie Williams led the team with 49 kills and added 10 digs, 10 blocks and eight set assists.

The No. 15 Pepperdine women’s volleyball team (21-4 overall, 13-0 in the West Coast Conference as the week began) will complete its conference schedule at 7 p.m. Saturday at the University of San Diego (17-11, 7-5).

Last week the Waves extended their conference winning streak to 46 matches with victories over the University of San Francisco and St. Mary’s. But Carolyn Hueth, a senior setter-outside hitter, broke two fingers on her right hand and will be sidelined indefinitely.

The Pepperdine women’s swim team will play host to Cal State Northridge and UC San Diego at noon Saturday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.

In a 163-91 loss to USC last week, Wave freshman Evy Wild was a double winner in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles and swam a leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay team. She set a school record of 1 minute 55.73 seconds in the 200 free.