COLLEGES / ALAN OTA : Wave Volleyball Team Awaits Pivotal Match

Jennifer Wrightson immediately established herself as a legend of sorts after joining the University of San Diego volleyball team.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore outside hitter, who transferred from San Diego State, was playing within 2 1/2 weeks of an acute appendectomy and seven days later equaled a team record with seven service aces in a match with Cal State Northridge. The next night Wrightson set a team record with five consecutive aces against North Texas.

“I get real hot at times. And those times, I really put them away,” said the former standout at Notre Dame Academy in Rancho Park.

San Diego Coach Sue Snyder was astonished by Wrightson’s play, saying, “Her recovery has been amazing.”

With Wrightson leading the team in hitting percentage (.257), San Diego has an overall record of 11-6 and is 2-0 in the West Coast Conference.

Because of some lingering abdominal soreness due mainly to the strain when jump-serving, Wrightson has yet to play her best, according to her coach. Snyder anticipates Wrightson will be at 100% when her team plays host to Pepperdine on Friday at 7 p.m.

Pepperdine’s record 47-match conference winning streak was snapped last weekend on the road when it lost to Portland and Gonzaga. The Waves (4-11, 0-2 in WCC), winners of the past five WCC championships, had not lost a league match since a defeat in five games to Santa Clara in 1988.

With 12 league matches remaining and seeing the San Diego match as pivotal for her team, Wave Coach Nina Matthies said, “(It’s) probably a must-win for us if we have any hopes of winning the conference championship.”

To date, senior hitter Blair Noonan leads the Waves in kills (234) and digs (202). Junior middle blocker Barbara Stross leads in hitting percentage (.285).

Snyder didn’t anticipate Pepperdine dropping its opening league matches. “To be honest, I was very surprised,” the San Diego coach said. “It’s been a case of Pepperdine being up there for so long, those northern teams were really out to get them.”

The wins by both Portland Coach Carl Neuburger and Gonzaga Coach Sean Madden were their first-ever over Pepperdine.

Neuburger said he was ecstatic after Portland’s 22-20, 15-5, 4-15, 5-15, 15-11 victory Friday. “That was a big win for our program. The fact is that it was so big that we didn’t bother to come to play the next night (against Loyola Marymount) and got swept in three games.”

Neuburger sees Friday’s match as a test for Pepperdine. “They have to worry about being on the road, just like the rest of us,” he said. “And San Diego is playing well.”

After watching UCLA play mostly its second team in overwhelming Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State soccer Coach Chuck Clegg knew the Aztecs might have big problems when they played the Bruins.

And after losing to UCLA, 4-0, on Sunday, Clegg sees himself as a man of vision.

“With the talent level they have, (UCLA) should win the national title,” Clegg said.

Clegg praised the UCLA defense, junior sweeper Ty Miller and junior goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who leads the nation in shutouts (8) and goals against average (0.10).

“Brad Friedel is the best goalkeeper in the country--pro, college or whatever,” Clegg said. “And I think he’s the best ever to play college soccer.”

The second-ranked Bruins (8-0-1, 1-0 in the Pacific Division of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will play league matches at New Mexico on Friday at 6 p.m. and at Nevada Las Vegas on Sunday at 1 p.m.

New Mexico (7-2-1, 2-0 at home) is led by senior midfielder Edmundo Rodriquez, who has 13 goals and two assists in eight games. UNLV (4-2-4) has All-American senior midfielder Daniel Barber.

New Mexico Coach Klaus Weber says UCLA is a team with great depth and no weakness, but believes the Bruins only have as good a chance to win the national title as four or five teams in the country.

“UCLA’s only stumbling block is that their path goes through us,” Weber said. “But please indicate that I was smiling when I said that.”

After defeating No. 2 Stanford in a five-game match Saturday, the top-ranked and undefeated UCLA women’s volleyball team continues Pac-10 play this weekend.

The Bruins (11-0, 6-0 in conference matches) play Oregon (5-7, 1-4) on Friday and Oregon State (10-5, 1-4) on Saturday. Both matches will be played at the Wooden Center at 7 p.m.

Bruin senior outside hitter Natalie Williams leads the team in kills (169) and aces (13). Senior middle blocker Marissa Hatchett’s hitting percentage (.500) is the best in country.

With a three middle-blocker offense, Oregon is playing its best volleyball so far this season but doesn’t match up physically to UCLA, according to Duck Coach Gerry Gregory.

“UCLA has the finest team ever,” Gregory said. “And it has nationally recruited players sitting on the bench.”

Oregon State Coach David Gantt, whose starting lineup has three freshman, two sophomores and a senior, doesn’t give his or anyone’s team much hope in defeating UCLA.

“It’ll be a fluke if anyone beats them,” Gantt said. “UCLA may have to schedule the women’s national team to get a loss.”

Notes

UCLA cross-country Coach Bob Larsen commended junior Eliazar Herrera’s third-place finish in 23:54 over the 8-K course at the Stanford Invitational last weekend. “Herrera’s race was spectacular with his ability to move up throughout the course,” Larsen said. The Pepperdine men’s and women’s teams will compete in the Southern California College Invitational Saturday in Newport Beach. The 5-K women’s race is at 9 a.m. and the men’s 8-K race starts at 9:45 a.m.

The No. 6 UCLA water polo team (5-3) meets No. 4 Stanford (11-2) at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on Saturday at 4 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., former UCLA and Stanford players will meet in an annual alumni match. Pepperdine, ranked No. 2 before losing three of four games at last weekend’s NorCal tournament, will play host to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara at noon Saturday. The Waves are 7-5.

Pepperdine Athletic Director Wayne Wright is receiving resumes for women’s soccer coach. The program is scheduled to play its first season in September, 1993 but does not expect to name a coach until the first of the year. The Waves will be one of only four NCAA Division I teams in Southern California, along with UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State.

Mount St. Mary’s College in Brentwood has named Nicki Jessup as volleyball coach. Jessup was an assistant women’s coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills for three seasons. The school also named Edith Arguelles as the cross-country coach.