NOTEBOOK / GARY KLEIN : San Marino Senior Wins Tennis Title

It took three tries, but Nicole Hummel of San Marino High finally won what had become an elusive Southern Section tennis championship.

Hummel, a senior playing in her third final, won the title by defeating Nicole Elliott of Dana Hills High, 6-0, 6-2, last week at Lindborg Racquet Club in Huntington Beach.

“I’m physically stronger this year,” said Hummel, a finalist last year and in 1988 as a freshman. “I had more power.”

Hummel, 17, lost only eight games in four matches during the two-day finals and became the second San Gabriel Valley player to win the Southern Section championship. Barbara Hallquist of Arcadia was the 1973 and 1974 champion.

Hummel advanced to the quarterfinals of the junior girls’ division at the French Open, where she was eliminated in four sets by Gloria Pizzichi. She also played in the junior divisions of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, losing in the first round both times.

Honor roll: Lenee Hill of Azusa Pacific University was named women’s volleyball player of the year by the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Hill, a 5-foot-10 middle hitter, helped lead Azusa Pacific to a 34-8 record.

The Cougars were eliminated by Indiana-Purdue (Indianapolis), 7-15, 15-6, 13-15, 15-13, 15-9, Friday in the NAIA national tournament at Hays, Kan.

Azusa Pacific defeated Seton Hill (Pa.), Northern Montana, Montevallo (Ala.) and Presbyterian (S.C.) in pool play to reach the quarterfinals.

Hill finished the season with 606 kills.

Add honor roll: La Verne quarterback Willie Reyna finished the season as the total offense leader in NCAA Division III.

Reyna averaged 329.1 yards a game in total offense. He was fifth in passing efficiency with 158.8 rating points and helped La Verne finish second in passing offense at 296.6 yards a game.

Pomona-Pitzer kicker Michael Cass was second in the nation with 1.13 field goals per game.

Last add honor roll: Mt. San Antonio College quarterback Anthony Calvillo and kicker Andy Norrell were selected second-team All-American by the JC Gridwire.

Calvillo, a sophomore who played at La Puente High, passed for 3,061 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Norrell, who transferred from USC, made 13 of 15 field-goal attempts and 31 of 32 conversion attempts.

On the shelf: Danielle Malone, a 6-2 center for the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team, underwent exploratory knee surgery Tuesday and will be out four to six weeks.

Malone, a junior who was a freshman All-American in 1989, played sparingly last season after giving birth to her second child.

She is averaging four points and 2.5 rebounds a game for the Broncos (4-1), who are ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II.

Pomona plays at Loyola Marymount Friday and plays host to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Staff writer Steven Herbert contributed to this notebook.