Phillips’ Injury Hurts Long Beach

It was not a capital trip to Washington, D.C., last week for the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team, although it beat Navy, American University and Georgetown.

The fourth-ranked 49ers lost outside hitter Lindsay Phillips, apparently for the season, after the former Marina High and 1997 Orange County player of the year apparently tore an anterior cruciate ligament. She will be examined today.

A redshirt sophomore, Phillips played at Pepperdine in 1998 and was selected West Coast Conference freshman of the year. She opened the season with a 20-kill performance against St. Mary’s.

Starting middle blocker Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills High) did not play because of a stomach muscle pull. She is expected to return to practice today.

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Without Haneef, Phillips and backup outside hitter Ashante Taylor, who was ill, Long Beach State got all it could handle from host Georgetown Monday. The rally-scoring fifth game ended 17-15 in favor of the 49ers.

Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Warner, formerly of Mater Dei, had 22 kills and 15 digs for Georgetown and freshman setter Jennifer Ward, also from Mater Dei, had 59 assists for the Hoyas.

Another Mater Dei graduate, junior outside hitter Megan Sabo of Cal State Fullerton, had 63 kills and 48 digs in three matches at the Titans’ Four Point Classic tournament last weekend. Although Fullerton lost to San Francisco in the final, Sabo made the all-tournament team.

Two-year starter Amy Knebel, a 6-foot-1 right-side hitter, has left Rhode Island, a school spokesman said. Knebel was an Atlantic 10 Conference all-academic choice last season as a sophomore and was third on the team in kills.

Former Newport Harbor player Kathy Werhas, a senior, has left the team at UC Irvine.

Tustin High’s three-sport standout, sophomore Brook Brown, has not fully recovered from back surgery and intends to redshirt at UC Irvine.

Former Newport Harbor player April Ross, the 1999 Gatorade high school player of the year, had a successful freshman debut last weekend at USC, leading the Trojans with 13 kills in a sweep of Arkansas.

FOOTBALL

Former Los Alamitos High and all-county selection Ryan Hanson, a redshirt freshman, was one of six quarterbacks when football practice began at Nevada Las Vegas.

Hanson completed two of three passes for 16 yards in a scrimmage two weeks ago and will vie for the team’s long-snapping duties on punts. He may also play on special teams.

Former Irvine High and Orange Coast College quarterback Jared Flint is expected to become a medical redshirt at Hawaii after having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

Former Huntington Beach lineman Brendan Rosen, a 6-1 redshirt, has returned to practice at San Diego State after taking some time off, his father, Frank Rosen, said.

Last week, the Aztec sports information office reported that Rosen had quit the team. But Frank Rosen said his son continued to lift weights during a self-imposed hiatus because of a slower-than-expected recovery from back surgery that he had last spring.

“As a competitor he is very distraught about the length of time it is taking him to play again,” Frank Rosen said.

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