NOTEBOOK : Santa Monica Team Wins Volleyball Title

The Santa Monica Volleyball Club defeated a team from Puerto Rico to win the 16-and-under title in the U.S. Volleyball Assn. Junior Olympic national championship Friday in Albuquerque, N.M.

Santa Monica beat Boriquen Gardens, 12-15, 15-10, 15-13, in the final of the double-elimination tournament.

Santa Monica also beat Boriquen in the winner’s bracket final.

Coach Craig Adamoli, who coached the 14-and-under team last season, said his team’s goal was not only to win the championship, but avenge last year’s loss to Puerto Rico in the 16-and-under final.

“We looked past everyone, which was bad because we wanted to beat Puerto Rico,” Adamoli said. “Winning this thing was important, but the championship would have been incomplete if we hadn’t played Puerto Rico in the finals.”

Court Young (Harvard-Westlake High) was selected to All-American first team for Santa Monica, and teammates David Olson (Loyola) and Jeff Cooper (Brentwood) made the second team.

Other team members were Matthew Sebree (Harvard-Westlake), Doug Park (Harvard-Westlake), Seth Rodsky (Harvard-Westlake), Patrick Klein (Loyola) and Chip Smith (Loyola).

“I think we got shortchanged for All-Americans,” Adamoli said. “Ask anyone on our team and they will tell you that Jeff Cooper led us to the finals and Jeff Sebree was a close second.

“Their backs must really be sore because they carried us.”

The final game used the quick scoring method where a point is awarded during every serve. Santa Monica trailed, 13-12, in the third game when Adamoli called a timeout.

“I told the players to relax and just block balls,” Adamoli said. “Jeff Cooper blocked two straight down for points and we won. You can’t ask any more from a kid to step up like he did.”

Fox returns: Allen Fox will return next season as coach of the Pepperdine men’s tennis team after a one-year leave, Athletic Director Wayne Wright said Tuesday.

Fox coached the Waves from 1978-1991 and compiled a dual match record of 304-90. He served as an assistant to Eliot Teltscher during his leave.

“Allen Fox was instrumental in putting Pepperdine on the collegiate tennis map and I am pleased that he has decided to resume his head coaching duties,” Wright said.

Under Teltscher, Pepperdine had a 16-7 record and was ranked 11th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Assn. poll. The Waves were eliminated by Louisiana State in the second round of the NCAA Championships.

“Eliot Teltscher did an excellent job as our head men’s tennis coach last season,” Wright said. “I am hopeful that Eliot can someday return to Pepperdine because he was a well-respected member of our coaching staff.”

Going for the gold: UCLA will have 27 present and former athletes and four coaches representing five countries participating in the Summer Olympics.

Among the top UCLA participants representing the United States will be world record-holder Mike Powell in the long jump, gold medalist Evelyn Ashford in the 100 meters and defending Olympic heptathlon and long jump champion Jackie-Joyner Kersee.

Sharing duties: Kenji Mochizuki was hired recently as football co-coach at University High.

Mochizuki, who coached at Van Nuys from 1987-91, will be the Warriors’ defensive coordinator and share the head coaching duties with Brad Ratcliff, who will run the offense.

Mochizuki guided the Wolves to a 2-7 record, 2-5 in the Mid-Valley League, last season. He was replaced by George Enbrecht.