Big Tests Await No. 1 Trojans

Computer rankings or not, the real proof of how strong the USC women’s tennis team is will come this weekend.

The Trojans reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Assn. national rankings this week. Their worthiness of such a lofty position will be determined today and Saturday when they face California and Stanford at home.

Over the last four seasons, USC is 78-36 with three NCAA quarterfinal finishes and a round of 16 appearance. But the Trojans are having their best season under eighth-year Coach Richard Gallien.

Since losing their only match to Florida at the USTA/ITA Indoor Championships, the Trojans (17-1) have won 12 in a row with four of them coming against teams in the top 20. Now they face two-time defending NCAA champion Stanford and Cal, which are tied at No. 2 in the ITA rankings.

Stanford has not lost to USC since 1986.

“We’ve done real well by fighting and scrapping and trying to control what we do and not worry about what the other team does,” Gallien said. “What I want to see is that we fight and compete with every amount of tenacity we have.”

Two weeks ago, USC earned its first No. 1 ranking in 17 years. A week later, the Trojans dropped to third when wins over weakened South Alabama and Pepperdine squads cost them points in the computer, but they moved back up after defeating Arizona State and Arizona last week.

Senior Jewel Peterson, ranked sixth individually, is the Trojans’ top player with a 12-5 record at the No. 1 singles position. The key to USC’s success, however, has been the 31-4 record at Nos. 5-6 singles, rotating between Tiffany Brymer, Carine Vermuelen and Melissa Esmero.

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With a four-game homestand to end the regular season, the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team has a strong shot to clinch the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the top seeding in the conference tournament.

The top-ranked Waves (19-3, 16-2 in MPSF) lead Brigham Young by one game (two in the loss column) heading into matches this week against UC Irvine and UCLA. BYU (18-5, 16-4) comes to Malibu next weekend.

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USC catcher Jeff Clement etched his name in the Trojan record books when he hit his 15th home run of the season in a 9-4 victory Tuesday over UC Riverside, setting a home run mark for a freshman. Clement’s homer total leads the nation.

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The UCLA gymnastics team was sent to the NCAA South Central Regional at Columbia, Mo., where it will be seeded first at the April 12 meet. Cal State Fullerton is seeded fifth among six teams at the West Regional in Seattle.... UC Irvine junior Jimmy Pelzel had a career-high 35 kills in a four--game victory over Cal State Northridge Saturday night. It is the most by a player in the MPSF this season.

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This Week

SOFTBALL

* Arizona at UCLA, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday

The best rivalry in the sport will begin again with the top-ranked Bruins hosting the No. 2 Wildcats. UCLA leads the series, 52-42. The Bruins don’t figure to look past Arizona State on Friday; the Sun Devils knocked them out of the Women’s College World Series last season.

* Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Northridge, noon Saturday-Sunday

Ninth-ranked Fullerton opened Big West Conference play with three wins against Utah State. Northridge has defeated nationally-ranked Michigan and Arizona State. The teams will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

* Stanford at Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m. tonight; UCLA at Pepperdine, 7 p.m. Saturday

As the regular season closes, these matches can go a way toward determining spots for the eight-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament. Stanford sits in seventh place, a half-game ahead of Long Beach and one ahead of UCLA. League-leading Pepperdine, Brigham Young and Hawaii have already clinched berths.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

* Stanford at Long Beach State, noon Saturday

At 16-5 overall, fourth-ranked Long Beach is enjoying its best season in the program’s five-year history. NCAA champion Stanford is rolling along at 13-1 overall and 5-0 in the MPSF.