UCLA ousted in semifinals by Nebraska

Tracy Stalls had 13 kills in the final two games to help Nebraska advance to the NCAA volleyball championship match with a 3-1 comeback victory over UCLA on Thursday night at Omaha.

Sarah Pavan had 22 kills and four aces for the Cornhuskers, who beat the Bruins, 23-30, 30-28, 30-23, 30-28, to set up a title match Saturday night against Stanford, a 30-12, 30-25, 30-15 winner over Pacific 10 Conference rival Washington in the other semifinal.

“As the match wore on, we served a little less tough, and Nebraska -- especially Sarah Pavan -- notched up their serving,” UCLA Coach Andy Banachowski said.

The Cornhuskers (32-1) were down, 22-21, in the fourth game, but Stalls had kills on three of the next four points and Pavan had an ace, giving Nebraska a 25-22 advantage. The Bruins cut it to 29-28 before Jordan Larson ended the match with a kill.

UCLA (33-4) never trailed in the first game. The Bruins used a 7-0 run to take a 26-17 lead, keyed by four Nebraska errors. Down 28-18, the Cornhuskers scored four straight points to make it 29-22, but couldn’t get closer.

“I’m not sure we could have played any worse,” Nebraska Coach John Cook said.

Nebraska led, 21-18, in the second game, but UCLA tied it at 22-22 on Ali Daley’s kill. Rachel Holloway and Kori Cooper teamed up for a block to give Nebraska a 29-28 lead and UCLA’s Nellie Spicer was called for an illegal lift, giving the Cornhuskers the game.

In the third game, the Cornhuskers rattled off 10 straight points to take a 23-13 lead. Stalls had three kills and two block assists during that stretch, and Pavan had two aces. UCLA pulled to 27-22, but Nebraska won three of the next three points to take a 2-1 match lead.

“She [Stalls] did the things we saw on tape, but they used her a little bit more,” Banachowski said. “She had a great match, and we weren’t able to contain her.”

BASEBALL

Devil Rays to move

series to Disney World

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ effort to bolster fan support and make themselves a regional franchise will include playing three regular-season games at Disney World next season.

The team formally announced plans to move its May 15-17 home series against the Texas Rangers from St. Petersburg to Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in suburban Orlando, Fla.

“We hope these games whet the appetite of fans from Central Florida and they’ll take us up on our offer to come sample Rays baseball and our fan experience at Tropicana Field,” Devil Rays President Matt Silverman said.

The stadium at Disney, which also hosted first-round games in the inaugural World Baseball Classic last March, seats about 9,500. With temporary stands and outfield berm seating, capacity can be expanded to about 13,000.

As expected, Daisuke Matsuzaka’s $52-million, six-year contract was announced Thursday by the Boston Red Sox, who hope he will follow Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez as an ace on the Fenway Park mound.

Add the team’s winning $51.11-million bid for negotiating rights to the Japanese ace, which must be paid to the Seibu Lions by Dec. 21, and Boston’s investment comes to $103.11 million. That doesn’t include $8 million in escalators based on Matsuzaka’s winning awards.

Pitcher Miguel Batista signed a three-year contract with the Seattle Mariners for $25 million.

Batista, who will turn 36 early in spring training, will be pitching for his seventh team. In his second stint with Arizona last year, Batista tied a career high with 11 victories and eclipsed 200 innings for the first time in his career. He made 33 starts and had a 4.58 ERA.

Jeff Bagwell, the face of Houston baseball for a generation with teammate Craig Biggio, will retire today after 15 years with the team.

The four-time All Star will remain with the Astros as part of a personal-services agreement reached with the team earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the team’s plan.

New York Yankees pitching prospect Hector Noesi, 20, was suspended for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance under baseball’s minor league drug program.

JURISPRUDENCE

Cyclist Thomas indicted

for hindering probe

Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of hindering the government’s steroid probe.

Thomas, 36, is accused of three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury investigating a steroid ring that spanned across many sports.

The indictment adds cycling, a sport often associated with doping, to a probe that has exposed steroid use in baseball, football and track and field.

Thomas was banned for life in August 2002 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug norbolethone, which was detected in her urine samples.

SOCCER

Barcelona reaches final

of Club World Cup

Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho scored one goal and set up two others as Spanish powerhouse Barcelona beat Mexico’s Club America, 4-0, to reach the final of the Club World Cup at Yokohama, Japan.

Barcelona will face South American champions Internacional of Brazil in Sunday’s final.

In a victory for atmosphere over amenities, aging RFK Stadium was chosen to play host to the 2007 MLS Cup, becoming the first venue to stage Major League Soccer’s title game three times. The championship will be played at 9 a.m. PST Nov. 18, Commissioner Don Garber said.

As expected, the U.S. soccer team will play Mexico in an exhibition game Feb. 7 at Glendale, Ariz., the second game for the Americans under interim Coach Bob Bradley.

MISCELLANY

Goosen’s shaky finish

leaves Els in the lead

Retief Goosen shot an 11 on the 17th hole, leaving Ernie Els tied for the lead after a five-under-par 67 in the South African Open at Port Elizabeth.

Els, who had two birdies and an eagle on the back nine, is tied with Carl Suneson, Trevor Immelman and Andrew Raitt. Lee Westwood, Patrik Sjoland and Des Terblanche were another shot back.

Goosen closed with a birdie to finish with a 69.

Andy Irons posted a score of 9.87 late in a four-man heat to overtake Kelly Slater, then added a perfect 10 with a long tube ride to seal victory in the season-ending Rip Curl Pipeline Masters on Oahu’s North Shore. Cory Lopez and Rob Machado were third and fourth.

Irons’ dramatic victory, in hollow six- to eight-foot waves at the fabled Banzai Pipeline, also gave him his second consecutive and fourth overall Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title.

-- Pete Thomas

Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett has been transferred to a prison where he could spend the remainder of his sentence of at least 3 1/2 years on charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Clarett will be in a single cell at the Toledo Correctional Institution, but he will not be isolated from other inmates, said Andrea Dean, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Michael Greis of Germany rallied to win the 10-kilometer sprint at a World Cup biathlon event at Hochfilzen, Austria.

The three-time Olympic champion finished in 25 minutes 3.7 seconds. Maxim Tchoudov of Russia was second, 3.5 seconds behind.