Orlandini helps Huskies right ship
The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level.
Jenna Orlandini (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2009) Washington women’s volleyball, sophomore: Orlandini helped her Huskies snap a two-game skid Friday, as No. 7-ranked Washington swept Oregon State on the road, 25-14, 25-21, 25-18.
The former Tolog and Washington’s current libero had 18 digs and two aces in the match, continuing her strong play this season. Orlandini hasn’t missed a set this year and has a team-high 267 digs and 19 aces to show for it. The sophomore also has 47 assists.
Friday’s win helped Washington get back on track, after falling to fourth-ranked Cal and then-No. 7 Stanford, at the time, on Oct. 14 and 15, respectively. Cal beat the Huskies in four games, 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25, and Stanford swept Washington, 25-19, 25-16, 25-23.
The two losses dropped the Huskies from No. 2 to No. 7 in the country. Washington took another hit Saturday, falling to 18th-ranked Oregon, in three games, 27-25, 30-28, 25-18. Orlandini had 16 digs and three assists in the match.
The Huskies are now 16-4, 8-4 in conference and will host Arizona State Friday.
Dietrich Riley (St. Francis High, 2010) UCLA football, sophomore: Things got ugly for the Bruins Thursday night, as they got dismantled by the University of Arizona, 42-12, on national television. While things have not gone the way UCLA or its Coach Rick Neuheisel wanted this year, the Bruins’ defensive struggles have allowed Riley to pad his stats in the secondary.
Riley had a team-high eight tackles against the Wildcats. He also had two tackles for a total loss of three yards in the game. The former All Area Football Player of the Year and News-Press Athlete of the Year has started all but two games this season and made 31 tackles (19 solo and 12 assists) and broken up three passes. The sophomore safety has also forced and recovered a fumble this year.
Still, UCLA’s secondary has been far from impressive this season. Arizona quarterback Nick Foles completed 26 of 39 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and an interception Thursday. The loss dropped the Bruins to 3-4, 2-2 in the PAC-12, while giving the Wildcats (2-5, 1-4) their first conference win.
UCLA will look to pick up a win during its homecoming game against University of California, Berkeley, Saturday at 4 p.m.
Chris Tosello (La Cañada High, 2008) Menlo College football, junior: Menlo has cooled down since its hot, 4-0 start to the season, losing two of its past three games. The Oaks fell to Pacific Lutheran, 14-6, on Oct. 15, after beating Webber International, 13-0, on Oct. 8 and suffering their first loss of the season during homecoming at the hands of Southern Oregon, 31-17, on Oct. 1.
Tosello has kept up his pace, though. The former Spartan has been a one-man wrecking crew on the Oaks’ defensive line, racking up 22 tackles this year (14 solo, eight assisted) and has set a team-high in sacks with five for a total loss of 42 yards. In total, he has seven tackles for a loss, another team-high, for 46.5 yards. He has also broken up a pass.
Tosello had two tackles, one of them for a loss of two yards in the loss against Pacific Lutheran.
Menlo (5-2) will look to get back on track following its bye week when it hosts Linfield on Friday at noon.
Nick Posthuma (St. Francis High, 2008) Cal State Fullerton’s men’s soccer, senior: Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Titans this season. Cal State Fullerton started the season out on fire and entered Big West Conference play undefeated.
The Big West has proven to be a big challenge for the Titans, who picked up their first conference win of the season at home on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Cal Poly. Cal State Fullerton couldn’t keep up the momentum when they traveled to UC Irvine Saturday night, falling on an overtime goal in the 94th minute, 1-0.
Posthuma also hasn’t quite been the factor he was last year for Cal State Fullerton (7-5-3, 1-4-1 in conference). After leading the team in goals (nine) and points (19) as a junior, the former Golden Knight has started eight of 14 games for the Titans this year. He’s scored twice and notched three assists for a total of seven points. His two goals and three assists are both tied for second-best on the team, with several different players.