Briefs: Klintsone collects accolade

UC Irvine junior guard is Big West Conference Player of the Week after breakthrough in two wins.

UC Irvine junior Anete Klintsone has been named Big West Conference Player of the Week in women’s basketball.

The 5-foot-7 guard out of Jefferson Community College in Missouri, had a career-high 21 points in the Anteaters 77-75 overtime home conference win over Pacific on Thursday.

Klintsone had a career-best eight rebounds to go with her 16 points in UCI’s 60-54 conference road win against UC Davis.

Against Pacific, Klintsone made nine of 15 field-goal attempts and scored 15 points in the second half, when she went six for eight from the field, two of three from three-point range.

She added five rebounds and four assists.

At Davis, Klintsone picked up three assists and two steals to help the Anteaters earn their second victory in 21 tries against the Aggies, their first win since January of 2006.

For the week, Klintsone averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per contest, while shooting .536 from the field.

UCI (6-10, 2-2 in conference) visits Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Thursday at 7 p.m.

— From staff reports

Hughes set for USC

Sara Hughes, a Costa Mesa resident who played girls’ volleyball at Mater Dei High last fall, has committed to play sand volleyball at USC, a Mater Dei spokesperson announced.

Hughes was a member of the junior national women’s beach volleyball team in 2011.

— From staff reports

UCI products shine

UC Irvine alum Ryan Bailey has scored a team-high six goals in the USA men’s national team’s first two victories at the Pan Pacific Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Bailey notched four goals in Sunday’s 17-1 victory over New Zealand and added a pair in Monday’s 13-8 defeat of Japan.

Anteater alum Tim Hutten scored twice against New Zealand and once against Japan.

Jeff Powers scored two goals in Monday’s victory over Japan.

Team USA faces China Tuesday.

Bailey has played on the last three U.S. Olympic teams, Powers the past two and Hutten was on the 2008 squad. The three alums each earned multiple All-American honors while competing for the ‘Eaters.

Hutten won the 2008 Peter J. Cutino Award.

— From staff reports