4:16pm | The first of the alignments is on your dinner plans for Friday night since there is a very attractive Beach sporting double header that day starting with women’s soccer hosting UNLV at 4 p.m. on George Allen Field and ending in the Mike Walter Pyramid when that never shy state school, UC Santa Barbara, visits at 7 p.m.
Soccer got sweet revenge on Sunday when Saint Mary’s, the NCAA spoilers last season when, despite being outshot 22 to 3, they whipped the Niners 1-0. Of course Nadia Link scored a goal but the other five came courtesy of foot work by Nicole Hubbard, Shawna Gordon (four assists) and Sierra Mack.
Volleyball meanwhile still looks like a MASH unit with limping stars like Alma Serna and Haleigh Hampton gutting it out while Caitlin Ledoux and Michelle Osunbor worked their crutches and will again this weekend. I saw UCSB a couple of times in the Pepperdine tourney and they are a shadow of their former teams but still very clever on the serve and efficient on digging and passing. The Beach actually climbed to #21 in the polls. The next night looked tough but SLO fired their coach and seems a bit in disarray.
Hampton recorded a double-double in just three sets in a win over Idaho with 13 kills and 12 blocks on .591 hitting. The J sisters, Juley, Jackson and Johnson, should lead the Niners to two more wins this weekend.
On the balance sheet the fall records are all pretty good: Women’s Soccer (6-3-1); No. 24 Women’s Volleyball (6-4, 0-0 Big West); and No. 9 Men’s Water Polo (9-1). The 49ers have scored 143 goals in only 10 games. Matthew Kubeck is averaging 6.25 saves per game. WP plays their Alumni Saturday, 12 p.m. in the Campus Pool. Last and never least, Women’s Tennis travels to the desert for the UNLV Invitational all weekend, exhibition games and great buffets everywhere.
MIXED DUST — In the old days members of the 49er Athletic Association Board of Directs were supposed to recruit new members. The latest plan is for all Director Circle members ($1500 and up) are supposed to support a “+ One Campaign”.
The AD held a pep rally for that cause last week but the actual DC head count at the present time is confusing to me. It could be 118 or 158? Anyhow the needs are greater this coming year so someone may ring you up to sign up.
On the baseball scene the Tuscaloosa News reports that all Nike contracted schools have been released from their bat contract after it was found out that the Nike bats underperformed. This affects Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina and Southern Cal who all used the bats last season with only North Carolina making the College World Series. Oh yes, Nike country favorites Oregon State and Oregon also have to make that tough choice.
It turns out that the Ducks, who are widely referred to as “Nike U”, will explore other options. “We have been given Nike’s blessing to go ahead and move forward [with exploring other bats],” says Oregon head coach George Horton. “We will give our young men the choice of swinging all of the major vendors, and ultimately I think a lot of them will end up with Nike in their hand.” Very political.
The no cheering press box rule has a new hero when veteran Clemson SID Tim Bourret (35 years patrolling the press box….) ejected three “troopers” for cheering last weekend. So I called to see if they were state troopers from SC or Alabama, but according to staff “just some college kids.” Not very political college kids. Clemson has Florida State in this weekend.
BWC Notes–Women’s Soccer–A week remains before the start of conference play, with teams fitting in their final non-conference contests of the year. No. 15 UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge will host the highest-profile opponent of the week, with perennial NCAA title contenders Portland visiting. The ‘Eaters will square off with Portland Thursday, while the Matadors get their shot Sunday.
Home contests this week include Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton hosting UNLV on Friday and Sunday, respectively, Pacific facing San Jose State Friday, and UC Riverside welcoming Lamar Sunday. Cal State Fullerton will air their match against UNLV on BigWest.TV Sunday.
BWC Notes–Women’s Volleyball–This week marks the start of Big West Conference play. League-leading UC Davis, who currently sits atop the standings with a 14-1 mark, has the honor of kicking off the conference portion of the season as it visits northern California foe Pacific on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
The remaining seven Big West teams take to the court this weekend. Defending champion Cal State Fullerton and preseason favorite Long Beach State host central coast opponents Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Irvine tackles the NorCal schools and Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside battle in the Inland Empire Saturday night.
FINAL NOTES AND QUOTES — Terrell Davis last of the great 49er footballers is now in the ring of honor at Bronco Stadium in Denver. Davis was on the last LBSU football team recruited by George Allen. His brother Reggie Webb was a tailback here before him, and he persuaded the school to give T. D. a ride. Allen died after the end of 1990 season. Davis played the following season and rushed for 262 yards on 55 carries. Long Beach State eliminated its football program due to budget concerns at the end of the 1991 season Davis currently resides in Temecula with his wife Tamiko (a former Price is Right model)
More family programming. You remember our NHL hockey pal Travis Ramsey. Here is a note from his dad Tay and family (which includes Niner icon and his grandma Pat West.)
“His mom Pam is flying to Boston on Oct 6th and will go to Providence Rhode Island to watch Trav’s first season game with the Ice Caps. I will fly out the following day and meet Pam and we will go to Manchester New Hampshire to watch him play there. We will then pick up his car and drive to Bangor the next day. We will get to watch the his old school, the Maine Black Bears, play and stay at the Black Bear Inn and haddock chowder. We will then drive the next day to a city I can’t remember and spend the night. Then we will drive to North Sydney New Brunswick and get on a ferry that night and travel all night to Newfoundland. The morning we arrive on the island we will drive half way across the island, spend the night and then hit St. John’s the next day and deliver his car and “stuff”.
Parenting ain’t easy. – DR. DAN