Ross finalist for player of the year

USC senior women’s volleyball star April Ross, a product of Newport

Harbor High, is among four finalists for the prestigious Honda Award

in volleyball.

The winner of the nationwide balloting will become a nominee for

the Honda-Broderick Cup, awarded annually to the nation’s collegiate

woman athlete of the year at the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year

banquet, scheduled June 14 in Orlando, Fla.

Ross, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, completed her successful career

by leading USC to a second-straight national championship on Dec. 20.

After leading the top-ranked Women of Troy in kills, service aces and

points per game, Ross was a first-team AVCA All-American, first-team

All-Pac-10 selection, and Pac-10 Player of the Year (the first USC

player to ever earn the honor).

Kim Willoughby (Hawaii), Kele Eveland (Georgia Tech) and Ogonna

Nnamani (Stanford) round out the 2003-04 volleyball nominees.

Lions win sixth straight

* BASKETBALL: Freshman Kelly Schmidt scored a game-high 22 points

to lead the Vanguard University women’s basketball team to its sixth

straight win, a 77-63 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over

visiting Fresno Pacific Saturday.

Schmidt, who grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, was one of four

Lions who scored in double figures. Lisa Faulkner contributed 13

points, while Lacey Mills and Lindsay McClellan added 10 points each

for the Lions (10-1, 2-1 in conference), ranked No. 3 in the NAIA.

Fresno Pacific (8-5, 2-1), ranked No. 25, was led by Sheila Kamps,

who scored 16 points.

Vanguard returns to action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., playing at The

Master’s College, which is ranked No. 4.

*--*

Golden State Athletic Conference

Vanguard 77, Fresno Pacific 63

Fresno Pacific -- Clark 15, Fast 10, Kamps 16, Gillespie 4, Burnett 14, McAmis 2, Montoya 2. 3-pt. goals -- Burnett 4, Clark 1. Fouled out -- Gillespie. Technicals -- None. Vanguard -- Josefsson 8, Mills 10, Burns 5, Faulkner 13, Schmidt 22, McClellan

10, Besse 7, Dittenbir 2. 3-pt. goals -- Faulkner 3, Mills 2, Josefsson 2. Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. Halftime -- VU, 34-25.

*--*

Carrillo lifts Pirates

* BASKETBALL: Sophomore forward Alisa Carrillo scored 16 points to

lead the Orange Coast College women’s basketball team to a 56-42

nonconference victory over visiting Santa Barbara Saturday.

Carrillo converted 8 of 9 free throws as the Bucs finished 12 of

16 from the line.

OCC led, 29-24, at halftime and opened the final 20 minutes with a

10-3 run to put away the Vaqueros (6-6).

Freshman guard Jessica Chades tallied 10 points to go with three

steals for the Pirates (7-7), who opens Orange Empire Conference play

against visiting Riverside Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

*--*

Nonconference

Orange Coast 56, Santa Barbara 42

Santa Barbara -- Shahvaran 16, Wingard 6, Douville 2, Joyce 6, Agin 6, Unsinn 0, Stengel 6, Hayward 0, Durian 0. 3-pt. goals -- Joyce 1. Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. Orange Coast -- Naff 7, Carrillo 16, Shaw 2, Chades 10, Arganda 0, Viloria

5, Stepanski 8, Van Buren 8, Haueter 0. 3-pt. goals -- Naff 2, Viloria 1, Chades 1. Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. Halftime -- OCC, 29-24.

*--*

CdM takes fifth place

* BASKETBALL: The Corona del Mar High girls basketball team used

good team defense to overcome a four-point, first-quarter deficit and

roll to a 58-32 victory over Rancho Alamitos in the fifth-place game

in the Cavalier Classic Saturday at Santiago High.

Sophomore Megan Benbow paced CdM’s balanced scoring attack with 12

points, while sophomore Kristina Wayte and senior Colleen Marks each

had seven.

All-tournament selection Kate Heeschen added six points for the

Sea Kings (4-7), who open Pacific Coast League play Thursday at

Laguna Beach.

*--*

Cavalier Classic

Fifth-place game

Corona del Mar 58, Rancho Alamitos 32

Score by Quarters

Rancho 10 7 5 10 -- 32

CdM 6 20 8 22 -- 58

Rancho -- Cornejo 1, Almaraz 2, Hanna 4,

Whitney 21, Gautier 4. 3-pt. goals -- None.

Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. CdM --

Snell 1, Benbow 12, Stern 2, Heeschen 6, Long

0, Wayte 7, Marks 7, Wadhwa 0, Schulte 4,

Duernberger 6, Kawata 5, Skalla 6. 3-pt. goals

-- Kawata 1. Fouled out -- None. Technicals --

None.

*--*

UCI wins three titles

* SWIMMING: UC Irvine won the men’s and women’s titles at the UC

Irvine/Country Inns & Suites Invitationals individual distance meet,

and the Anteater men’s swim team won the sprints meet title at the

Anteater Aquatics Complex Saturday.

In the women’s distance meet, the Anteaters won two of the four

events. Sophomore Lara Bjargardottir won the 400 individual medley

(4:27.74). Senior Semah Zavareh won the 1,650 freestyle (17:18.81).

In the men’s distance meet, UCI senior Kareem Adnan won the 1,650

free (16:41.11). Freshman Brian Buchanan won the 500 free (4:57).

San Diego State edged UCI for the women’s sprint title with 398

points. UCI finished with 384 for second.

UCI freshman Ashley DePaul won the 200 IM (2:08.25) and the 100

butterfly (57.21). Junior Kim Do won the 100 backstroke (56.84).

The Anteater men’s team dominated the sprints meet with wins in

nine of the 10 events. Senior Phil Garcia won the 200 free (1:46.28),

the 50 free (21.32) and the 100 free (47.43). Junior Bomb

Pattanasinth won the 200 IM (2:02.18) and the 100 fly (53.81). Junior

Gonny Shimura won the 100 back (53.96).

Freshman Daniel Simonsen won the 100 breaststroke (58.42). Senior

Brian Kim won the 200 breast (2:08.17). Freshman Mike Cohee won the

200 back (2:00.48).

VU winless in GSAC

* BASKETBALL: The Vanguard University men’s basketball team

remained winless in the Golden State Athletic Conference, losing,

67-56, to visiting Fresno Pacific Saturday.

The Sunbirds (9-4, 3-0 in conference) shot 7 of 14 from behind the

three-point line (50%) in the first half to grab a 34-20 lead at the

break. Kevin Dalafu came off the bench to lead the Lions (6-7, 0-3)

with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. The Lions shot

31.8% in the first half (7 for 22) and finished 37% for the game (20

for 54).

*--*

Golden State Athletic Conference

Fresno Pacific 67, Vanguard 56

Fresno Pacific -- Sligh 7, Norcross 0, Huggins 13, Barnett 13, Jones 10, Jennings 10, Mahrish 9, Caroli 5. 3-pt. goals -- Huggins 3, Barnett 3, Jennings 2, Mahrish 2. Vanguard -- Wormely 10, Seekins 2, Burnette 7, Pierson 7, Kim 6, Dalafu 18, Watson 2,

Enns 2. 3-pt. goals -- Dalafu 6, Kim 1. Halftime -- Fresno Pacific, 34-20.

*--*

UCI goes cold late

* BASKETBALL: The UC Irvine women’s basketball team led by three

with 2:49 left, but did not score the rest of the way and lost,

60-56, to host Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the Big West Conference

opener for both teams Saturday.

Courtney Ferguson, who drained 4-of-8 three-pointers, scored a

season-high 17 points, which was the game-high for UCI (1-8, 0-1 in

conference). But Cal Poly (5-5, 1-0) snapped its four-game losing

streak on the strength of 14 points each from Courtney Uphoff and

Sparkle Anderson.

*--*

Big West Conference

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 60, UC Irvine 56

UC Irvine -- Urban 0, Callaway 13, Yadon 6, Ferguson 17, Green 12, Duda 4, Biggins 2, Usher 2. 3-pt. goals -- Ferguson 4, Green 2. Cal Poly -- Paterson 8, Wittstrom 8, Anderson 14, Taylor 7, Uphoff 14, Richards 7, Grieve 2. 3-pt. goals -- Uphoff 2,

Anderson1. Halftime -- Cal Poly, 32-25.

*--*