3:00pm | Depending on who your Spin Doctor is, you can take that headline literally if you like but this morning not all the Forty-Niner Nation is grinning ear to ear.   

We will follow the calendar to ‘splain to you what we mean. Friday began with Beach soccer trailing 1-zip late in their home contest with Cal Poly. They rallied for a goal, held the tie through two overtimes, and then exhaled.

Friday night Beach volleyball snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at Santa Barbara when they ground out a game one win 33-31, routed the Gauchos 25-19 in game two on Kathy Gregory Night then was run out of the Dome losing the next three games and the match.

Oh yes, also on Friday, Fullerton of all teams (LBSU spanked them last week in the Big West Opener, but more on that later) beat Cal Poly. So on Saturday at SLO what would await Brian and his Sweethearts of Spike? Well it was more sour than sweet as Cal Poly swept the ‘Niners out of the Big West lead, out of the polls and very likely out of the chance to host a first round NCAA regional. Insult to injury, Fullerton went 2-0 on their weekend by sweeping Santa Barbara 24 hours after LBSU lost in five sets. Ouch Part One.

Ouch Part Two.  LBSU Water Polo lost three of four in the SoCal tourney, Ice Hockey won 5-3 on the road but were tied 1-1 at home on their weekend skate with SDSU, and tennis ace Jacki Alawi got bounced in the first round of her latest fall tourney.  Sunday on the pitch the tune would turn happy again.

For once Mauricio Ingrassia’s offense got going early and late. The Beach scored really fast when Nadia Link collected the quickest goal in program history, notching her team-leading seventh of the season just 1:30 into the game and before the UCSB coaches could yell “watch out for number 12.” The Gauchos answered but playing what the Beach boss called their best game ever, the ‘Niners scored two unanswered, locked the visitors in their own half of the field and four points early on in the Big West race are back in the conference title hunt.  Next action will be under the Friday Night lights at UC Riverside.

Back to volleyball (11-5, 1-2), the line-up seems to shift more than Dancing With the Stars. Ashley One (Lee) had to give way at one point to Ashley Two (Vazquez) and when Saturday night ended Brian Gimmillaro had tried a dozen different combinations. My hunch, the talent is there and things will improve starting this weekend when the Beach returns to the Pyramid hosting UC Davis on Friday and Pacific Saturday.

SPIN DOCTOR DUSTING—Coach Ingrassia has a daughter, Madison, and likely she gets bedtime stories with a Star Wars flavor. The evidence being his post game spin of the Friday tie with SLO in which he suggested that there was a force field around the opponents’ goal. A force field you say, well the sci fi types call that an energy shield or deflector shield, defined as “a barrier, typically made of energy or charged particles, that protects a person, area or object from attacks or intrusions.”  And apparently makes well struck soccer balls clang off the goal posts.

More WAC attacks, the Big West got a football victory over the WAC’s popular San Jose State when Big West member UC Davis prevailed. The Aggies scored late in the third as UC Davis rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to stun Western Athletic Conference member San Jose State 14-13 at Spartan Stadium… The crowd at San Jose was 17,844 even more than the Gauchos claimed for their futball win last week… So there.  And as one of my web friends said, “The WAC is a zombie: Still walking but doesn’t know its dead.”

Finally the final scene across the Pond for the US Ryder Cup players, sipper Corey Pavin and special Assistant Paul Goydos was wet but this time from champagne. “The Europeans set off on a victory lap back to the clubhouse behind the 18th green, where they sprayed the fans with champagne from a second-floor balcony, serenaded by chants of “Ole! Ole! Ole!” The Americans rallied from a three-point deficit to tie but Graham McDowell made a clutch birdie putt at the 16th and Hunter Mahan missed a chip and by a half-point the Euros won.