Olympic Berth Still Possible for Knoop Team

The team of Dennie Knoop of Topanga Canyon and Elaine Roque missed clinching a berth on the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball team by squandering four match points before losing, 16-14, to Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley on Friday at the Olympic trials in Baltimore.

Still, Knoop and Roque can qualify for the Olympic team if they beat on Sunday the winners of today’s match in the losers’ bracket between Deb Richardson and Gail Castro, a graduate of Crescenta Valley High and Valley College, and Janice Harrer and Gayle Stammer.

Baseball

Former Royal High quarterback Ryan Fien may have a future in the National Football League. After all, that’s one reason he transferred from UCLA to Idaho earlier this year. He wanted to get more playing time.

But if football doesn’t work out, Fien has another career option.

The 6-foot-4, 221-pound senior was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the latter stages of the amateur draft Thursday.

A high school all-star game between players from the Frontier and Tri-Valley leagues will be played at 10 a.m. today at Ventura College.

Cal Lutheran finished as the No. 2-ranked team in Collegiate Baseball magazine’s Division III national poll.

Volleyball

Harvard-Westlake High setter Jason Morrow and Royal middle-blocker Joe Olsen have been chosen to the All-Southern Section Division I team.

Outside hitter Rick Rauth of Harvard-Westlake made the second team and Royal setter John Baxter was a third-team pick.

Highland setter Brandon Kimball was selected to the Division II team.

Outside hitter Dylan Herrick and setter Tim Nollan of Campbell Hall were Division III selections.

Softball

Saugus High shortstop Nicole Giordano has been selected the Southern Section Division II player of the year, and Ron Hilton of the Centurions was chosen coach of the year.

Brooke Rutschman (Camarillo) and Justine Rachlin (Thousand Oaks) were selected to the Division I team.

Danielle Ferreira, Hope Robertshaw and Kellie Labor of Crescenta Valley, and Jamie Gillies and Jill Passafiume of Saugus were chosen to the Division II team.

Louisville’s Becky Witt was named to the Division III team.

Erin Heinbechner of Moorpark, Kristal Nessa of Paraclete, Tamra Freedman of Montclair Prep, Shana Silverman of Oak Park and Jackie Aranda of Village Christian were chosen to the Division V team.

Division VI selections include Karen Breshears and Julia Tamai of Cornerstone Christian and Heather Sanchez of L.A. Lutheran).

Miscellany

David Humphreys has been hired as boys’ basketball coach at Canyon High, pending approval by the William S. Hart Union High School District Board of Trustees.

Humphreys has been junior varsity basketball coach at Hart and played at The Master’s College.

An adult basketball league at the Boys and Girls Club in Oxnard is seeking additional team entries.

Information: 805-485-4328.

Contributing: Michael Lazarus, Bryan Rodgers.