UCLA’s Erb Succeeds by Accepting Golf’s Defeats

When No. 16-ranked Christy Erb, a senior on the UCLA women’s golf team, went home to San Diego last weekend, the first thing she did was pick up her dad, Mike, and head for Rancho San Diego Golf Course to work on her game. They stayed at the course until dark.

Although such behavior is standard for a top collegiate golfer, two years ago Erb was not so eager. Devastated by what she thought was a failed freshman year and disillusioned by college golf, Erb, who had been one of the nation’s top juniors before going to UCLA, considered quitting. Her enthusiasm for the sport was drained, and her clubs had fallen into disuse.

It took a lot of her father’s persuasion and a little growing up for Erb to realize what needed to be done.

“I was throwing the responsibility off on other people,” Erb said. “I would blame outside distractions on my bad shots. I had to learn to take responsibility for my game.”

Erb won numerous tournaments in junior golf, but during her first two years at UCLA, tournament victories became elusive. Although ranked as high as 28th during her freshman year, she skidded to 55th as a sophomore.

“Mentally, I was away from the game,” she said. “When I was on the course, I really wasn’t there and I didn’t want to be there,” she said.

Erb said her dad helped her shake her slump by demonstrating that if she practiced more and committed herself to the game, she would see a turnaround. She agreed, and although the turnaround was slow, the payoff has been high.

After an erratic junior season, Erb’s recovery was capped by her second-place finish in the individual competition of the NCAA women’s golf championships at Columbus, Ohio, one stroke behind Annika Sorenstam of Arizona. UCLA won the team title.

Currently, Erb’s No. 16 ranking is her highest ever, and she will lead the Bruins into the Pacific 10 Conference Women’s Golf Championships at Karsten Golf Course at Tempe, Ariz., Friday through Sunday.

Even while the No. 6 USC men’s tennis team was defeating top-ranked Stanford, 5-3, Friday and beating California, 6-0, Saturday, the Trojan players’ thoughts were on the 1992 NCAA men’s tennis championships at Athens, Ga., May 15-24.

“The only thing that matters to me is the NCAA team championship . . . and the individual championship at the NCAAs,” said eighth-ranked Brian MacPhie of USC. “These matches don’t mean anything.”

At No. 1 singles, MacPhie beat second-ranked Alex O’Brien of Stanford, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, and 23rd-ranked Matt Lucena of California, 7-5, 6-2.

“MacPhie is starting to play like he did at the end of last year when he was at the top of his game,” USC Coach Dick Leach said.

At the 1991 NCAA championships, which the Trojans won, MacPhie became one of only four players ever to earn All-American honors as a freshman. The other three were Jimmy Connors (UCLA), John McEnroe (Stanford) and Rick Leach (USC).

If USC (18-2 overall, 8-1 in the Pac-10 Southern Division) defeats Arizona State in a makeup match at USC on Wednesday, it will win the division title for the second year in a row.

The No. 8-ranked Pepperdine men’s tennis team has struggled recently, and the next week and a half will not be easy.

Pepperdine lost to unranked UC Irvine earlier this month, 5-4, as the Anteaters won all three doubles matches.

The Waves (14-4) will play host to San Diego State today and Irvine Wednesday, then defend their title at the West Coast Conference Championships in San Diego on Friday and Saturday. After that, Pepperdine will travel to play California and Stanford April 28-29.

“We have a nice little eight or nine days where we will discover if we can play with the big boys or if we can’t play with the big boys,” first-year Coach Eliot Teltscher said.

Mike Normand resigned as Loyola Marymount men’s volleyball coach on April 11 after his team’s last regular-season game against Stanford. The Lions finished 3-24 overall, 0-16 in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn.

Normand was dissatisfied with the school’s funding of the program, which has 2 1/2 scholarships, half the maximum allowed under NCAA regulations. He also had sought full-time status in his position.

“At what time do you say, ‘Hey, it’s time to cut your losses and get out of the kitchen?’ ” Normand said.

Normand, whose Loyola Marymount coaching record was 26-65 in four seasons, will go to Hawaii to live with his wife and two children.

L.A. University Notes

The USC and UCLA men’s tennis teams have met in 140 dual matches dating to 1929. The Trojans lead the series, 71-69. . . . The No. 10-ranked UCLA Bruins defeated California, 5-3, and top-ranked Stanford, 6-0, last weekend. Fifth-ranked Mark Knowles of UCLA lost to No. 23 Matt Lucena of California, 6-3, 6-1, then upset second-ranked Alex O’Brien of Stanford, 6-2, 6-2.

The Pepperdine men’s golf team will defend its WCC title in the conference championships at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego next Sunday through Tuesday. . . . The Cal State Long Beach women’s golf team will play host to the four-team Big West Women’s Golf Championships at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach next Monday and Tuesday. Long Beach’s Kari Close, 34, does not follow the lifestyle of a typical college golfer. Close and her husband, Larry, live in Sunset Beach with Close’s three children and Larry’s two.

No. 15-ranked Noelle Porter of the Pepperdine women’s tennis team is 16-2 in singles matches. Porter will lead 12th-ranked Pepperdine (15-5) into the three-day WCC Championships at St. Mary’s starting Friday. The Waves will be seeking their fifth consecutive WCC title. . . . Michelle Archuleta, third-year coach of the Long Beach women’s tennis team, said she is aiming for sixth place in the Big West Conference Women’s Tennis Championships at Ojai Wednesday through Saturday. That would be continued improvement from the 49ers’ last place in 1990 and eighth place in ’91.

This is a twice-monthly column focusing on non-revenue Division I sports at UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, Cal State Long Beach and Loyola Marymount.