TENNIS

Unseeded Laura Richards became the second consecutive USD player--Tonya Fuller won for the Toreras in 1990--to win the singles title of the Rolex ITCA Southern California tournament, held this year at UC Irvine.

Richards turned back unseeded Petra Schmitt of USC, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, and qualified for the National Indoor Championships at Minnesota in February.

In doubles, top-seeded Nicole Storto and Susan Hawke of San Diego State defeated Mamie Ceniza and Paige Varushuk of UCLA, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

USD’s Kevin Bradley lost in a quarterfinal match of the America West Challenge Cup in Houston. Pepperdine’s Cary Lothringer upended Bradley, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

WATER POLO

UC San Diego won the final of the Western Water Polo Assn. Championships, and earned an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament, with a 11-9 victory over Air Force in Hawaii.

The Tritons will begin the Nov. 29-Dec. 1 tournament in Long Beach as the sixth-seeded team in an eight-team field. UCSD appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1989.

Jason Brown scored four goals and Mike Nalu scored twice for ninth-ranked UCSD (18-13). Air Force fell to 21-11.