Oh Brother, Wong Leads Pepperdine Into Pauley

Pepperdine men’s volleyball player Scott Wong might feel a tad of brotherly love when the Waves play UCLA tonight.

In the Pauley Pavilion stands will be Scott’s brother, Kevin, who played for UCLA from 1992-95 and was a second-team All-American as a junior.

“We went to the same high school, same intermediate school, same preschool,” Scott said.

At Pepperdine, Scott has made an impact as a freshman. He leads the Waves with 21 aces and is second on the team with 292 kills and 154 digs.

The match between the third-ranked Waves (18-3, 15-2 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play) and top-ranked UCLA (22-3, 15-2) likely will determine the regular-season conference champion.

BASKETBALL

Going away: Sophomore guard Amirah Leonard of Ventura College has signed with Clemson. Leonard, who attended Crescenta Valley High, led Ventura in scoring the past two seasons. She was selected most valuable player of the state tournament in her freshman season after leading Ventura to the state title.

SOCCER

Headed west: Stephanie Couterier, a midfielder from North Shore High in Slidelo, La., and a member of the Olympic development program’s under-17 South regional team, said Thursday that she has committed to play at Cal State Northridge.

BASEBALL

Off the field: Mel Swerdling, American Legion District 20 Commissioner for the past 23 seasons, said Thursday he will no longer be a field manager in the program, ending what had been a controversial dual role.

Some coaches complained last season about Swerdling coaching North Hollywood East while serving as commissioner.

The coaches also disagreed with Swerdling’s decision to allow umpire-in-chief Terry Stoller to serve as the business manager for Van Nuys West, but Swerdling said Stoller again will serve in both capacities this season.

TENNIS

Stepping down: Grant Calkins, coach of the Westlake High boys’ team, said he plans to retire at the end of this season.

Calkins, 58, guided the Warriors to two Marmonte League titles and the Southern Section Division III finals in 1997.

GYMNASTICS

Champions: Joshua Kirsch of Agoura and Jeremy Dwork of Camarillo won titles in the Class IV ages 12-13 and 14-and-older classifications, respectively, at the state gymnastics championships last weekend.