VOLLEYBALL

Brandon Taliaferro, a senior setter for UCLA, was named first team All-America Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn.

Taliaferro, who graduated from San Clemente High, is a repeat first-team member and has received AVCA All-America honors for the fourth consecutive year.

Brad Keenan, a freshman middle blocker at Pepperdine who graduated from Fountain Valley High, and Chris Seiffert, a senior setter at Long Beach State who graduated from Capistrano Valley, were second-team selections.

WATER POLO

Tim Birdsong, the Newport Harbor goalie who was 1999 Times’ Orange County player of the year, said Wednesday he has committed to play water polo for Claremont-McKenna College.

Birdsong made 204 saves last season and only allowed six or more goals in only 14 of the 28 games he played last year.

* Robin Beaureguard (Marina High) scored two goals and Julie Swail (UC Irvine women’s coach, Valencia High) added another as the U.S. women’s water polo team beat Germany, 14-6, Wednesday at the Olympic qualification tournament in Palermo, Italy.

The U.S. faces Greece today and Italy tomorrow. A victory over Greece would put the U.S. in Saturday’s semifinals regardless of the outcome of the game against Italy. Three teams in the 13-team field will qualify for the Olympics.

GOLF

Carla Legaspi, a freshman at Long Beach State, has been named second team All-Big West Conference.

Legaspi (Mission Viejo High) finished tied for 18th in the conference championships. She competed in four tournaments this spring and was the 49ers’ top golfer in three.

John Livingston, in his sixth year at Long Beach, was named the Big West men’s coach of the year after guiding the 49ers to a third-place finish.

Long Beach’s John Mallinger was named to the men’s first team.

BASEBALL

Nate Buecler of Golden West College was one of six players signing to play baseball at Long Beach State. Buecler, a right-handed pitcher, previously played at Huntington Beach High.