Braverman Qualifies for USTA Event

Newport Beach’s Brandis Braverman advanced Tuesday to the main draw of the USTA women’s $25,000 La Canada Challenger with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory over Rika Hiraki of Japan. On Monday, Braverman defeated former NCAA singles champion Zuzana Lesenarova of San Diego 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. Braverman will play unseeded Rika Fujiwara of Japan today.

In doubles qualifying, Brandi Freudenberg, formerly of El Modena High and UCLA, and Lesenarova lost in the final round to Nicole Melch of Austria and Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada, 8-5, in an eight-game pro set.

* Donna Gentry, from Aliso Niguel High, has committed to play women’s tennis at UC Irvine. Gentry was a first-team All-Sea View League selection.

GYMNASTICS

The Cal State Fullerton women’s gymnastics team will be seeking its first Big West Conference championship since 1995 when the Titans compete Saturday at UC Santa Barbara.

“It looks like it’s going to be a dogfight between us and Boise State,” Titan Coach Julie Knight said. “We’re very close.”

Fullerton’s regional qualifying score was 194.6; Boise State’s was 194.47. The host Gauchos and Utah State also are in the four-team field.

Knight said she thinks Titan sophomore Kelly Mathiasen has a good chance of winning the conference all-around title.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

UC Irvine’s Erick Helenihi, a 6-foot-8 junior middle blocker, was named national player of the week by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. He is only the second Irvine player to win the honor. UCI’s Donnie Rafter, formerly of Tustin High, was selected in 1999.

Helenihi, from Villa Park High, had 30 kills Saturday in a five-game win over then sixth-ranked Pepperdine. Irvine is ranked ninth.

Helenihi averaged 5.27 kills per game and had a .533 hitting percentage in three victories last week. The Anteaters (9-10, 5-7 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) have won six of their last seven matches. They play visiting Hawaii, ranked second in the nation, on March 28 and 31 at 7 p.m. in Crawford Hall.

BASKETBALL

Concordia’s Taryn Commins (San Clemente High), Vanguard’s Becki Huddle and Azusa Pacific’s Stephanie Patten (El Dorado High and Santa Ana College) and Catherine Solorio (Brea Olinda High) earned NAIA honorable mention All-American honors in women’s basketball.

* Vanguard’s Beth Weidler and Kelly Boeke were named NAIA Division I All-America scholar-athletes. Weidler, a junior from Esperanza High, has a 3.60 grade-point average and her major is liberal studies. Boeke, a junior from Fountain Valley High, has a 3.59 GPA and her major is English.

FENCING

Cal State Fullerton fencer Roland Breden received an at-large bid to the NCAA championship meet in men’s foil.

Breden, a freshman with a 72-3 record, will compete March 22-23 at Wisconsin-Parkside. Breden was the only Titan fencer to advance.

He won nine of 12 matches in the NCAA West Regional last weekend at Colorado Springs, Colo.

SOFTBALL

The high school softball game between Foothill, ranked No. 1 in Orange County, and fifth-ranked Rosary will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cal State Fullerton, Foothill girls’ Athletic Director Rick Falk said. The game was originally scheduled to be played Friday at Foothill.

RUGBY

The second Kevin Higgins Memorial Orange Cup rugby match between teams from Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday on the open field west of Titan Gym on the Fullerton campus.

The event honors the late Higgins, a former Mater Dei football tailback who later played rugby and went on to captain the U.S. national team.

A preliminary game between a group of 35 and older players and the U.S. Rugby Union Eagles is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

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