COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : Chapman Volleyball Team Trying to Bounce Back

On the brink of postseason elimination, the Chapman University women’s volleyball team might have salvaged an NCAA playoff spot by upsetting UC Riverside Saturday.

A week before, the Panthers had stumbled in Colorado Springs, Colo., losing four of their five matches at the Air Force Premier Tournament. The poor showing resulted in Chapman being dropped from the Division II rankings.

Dropping out of the top 20 so late in the season is usually disastrous to playoff chances because the NCAA committee that compiles the poll is the same one that selects playoff teams.

However, because of its five-game victory over No. 10 Riverside, Chapman moved back into the poll this week, tied for 19th with Gannon (Pa.) and Chico State. Chapman (20-15, 7-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.) finishes its conference season today and Saturday with matches at Cal State Dominguez Hills and No. 5 Cal State Bakersfield.

If Chapman defeats Dominguez Hills and loses to Bakersfield, the Panthers probably will finish third in the conference. In that case, Coach Mary Cahill believes her team has an outside chance to qualify.

“We’re right on the edge,” she said.

Power-Rating Blues: The Southern California College women’s volleyball team was left out of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 playoffs, despite having a better overall record than Point Loma Nazarene and The Master’s College, which got the final two spots.

Point Loma Nazarene, which tied SCC for fourth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference, was 14-15 in the regular season. The Master’s, an independent, was 20-21, and SCC was 18-14.

But in an attempt to reconcile the records of independent and conference-affiliated teams and determine those worthy of the playoffs, the district uses a power-rating ranking system. Only matches against District 3 teams are considered by the system, which disproportionately rewards victories against teams with records of .500 or better.

Point Loma and The Master’s had better ratings than the Vanguards, although SCC defeated The Master’s twice in the regular season.

“It was kind of a stunning blow because all season I thought there was no way we wouldn’t make it,” SCC Coach Becky Pines said. “It was disappointing, but you have to just let go of that and look on to next year.

“One of these years we’re going to make it in. The last three times we have been seventh, the odd team out. Every year there seems to be some odd reason we don’t make it.”

Add Pines: Sunday at 6:15 p.m., Pines gave birth to Joshua James, 8 pounds 15 ounces. Joshua is the first child of Pines and her husband, Tim.

Basketball season starts for Southern California College Saturday and the Vanguards should find out immediately how competitive they will be this season. SCC, which made the NAIA District 3 final four last season, opens with Biola, the District 3 runner-up, at 7:30 p.m. at Biola.

Emilio Kovacic, a 6-10 center who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds and was the district player of the year last season, leads Biola, which is favored to win the District 3 title and advance to Kansas City for the NAIA national championship tournament.

Biola also has Jeff Baker, a 6-9 forward who averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds.

SCC Coach Bill Reynolds said, “Usually, the great schedule-maker that I am, if you play Biola early in the season you do OK, because you look down the bench and they have six guys suited up, six coaches in suits and six redshirts waiting to get eligible. But this year it seems like they’re all eligible.”

Pacific Christian opened its men’s basketball season late Tuesday night, losing to Latin American Bible Institute of La Puente, 97-76. The Royals play West Coast Christian of Fresno at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cal State Fullerton. The PCC women’s team opens its season against Cal Baptist after the men’s game.

College Division Notes

Amber Coley, an SCC junior from Dana Hills High School, will compete in the NAIA national cross-country championships Saturday at Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. . . . Chapman was well represented on the All-CCAA men’s soccer teams after finishing in fifth place with a record of 6-10-3 and 2-6-2. Freshman forward Eddie Soto, who led the conference in scoring with 41 points (16 goals, nine assists), was the only Panther on the first team. Sophomore defender Dean Laird and senior midfielder John Bovetas were second-team selections. Sophomore defender Gabe LaRusso, freshman goalkeeper Scott Miller and freshman forward Dustin Kemmerer, a graduate of El Toro High, received honorable mention. . . . The Panthers’ women’s team, which finished 5-13-1, 0-6 in the CCAA, had six players honored. Sophomore midfielder Charlotte Strachen and freshman forward Carey Wright were first-team selections, senior sweeper Tiffany Drobnik, senior forward Stasi Dimassis and sophomore fullback Melanie Schmidlin were second-team picks and sophomore midfielder Paula Aguilar received honorable mention. . . . Aaron Clasen, a senior forward for the Christ College Irvine men’s soccer team (6-12-2, 2-4), which finished fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference, was a first-team all-conference selection and a second-team All-NAIA District 3 selection. Brian Beaman, a freshman from Laguna Hills High, and Chris Kannenberg, a sophomore from Laguna Hills, also were second-team all-district selections.