SPORTS
May 8, 2012
BASEBALL San Diego 4, UC Irvine 1 SAN DIEGO - Six Toreros pitchers limited the visiting Anteaters to six hits in the nonconference game Tuesday. The loss ends a seven-game win streak for UCI (27-18), which missed an opportunity to pad its RPI (59 to San Diego's 25). Freshman catcher Chris Rabago was two for three, while senior shortstop D.J. Crumlich was one for four with a run batted in for UCI. USD, which also had just six hits, but broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the eighth inning, improves to 37-11.
SPORTS
By Barry Faulkner | May 5, 2012
LOS ANGELES - All through its postseason run, the deepest team UC Irvine men's volleyball Coach John Speraw ever had kept shuffling the deck. But in the NCAA final against top-ranked USC on Saturday night, the Anteaters merely rode their same hot hand. Senior opposite Carson Clark, a four-time All-American, pounded a match-high 22 kills with a .465 hitting percentage to help the No. 2-ranked 'Eaters top to Trojans, 25-22, 34-32, 26-24, in front of 9,612 at USC's Galen Center.
SPORTS
By Barry Faulkner | May 3, 2012
LOS ANGELES - In this, the men's volleyball version of the Big Dance, UC Irvine did the equivalent of leaning against the wall, before getting fully into its groove. For the third straight match, No. 1-seeded UCI fell behind early, allowing No. 4-seeded Penn State to boogie its way to a one-set lead. But, just like the final two Mountain Pacific Tournament matches, when the Anteaters rallied to win in five games after losing the first two sets, they found their rhythm in time to advance in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship Thursday at USC's Galen Center.
SPORTS
By Barry Faulkner | May 2, 2012
A volleyball team's bench is like winter firewood: all stacked up with the constant promise of delivering a spark. When it comes to wielding the match, few have been more successful at fashioning a blaze with backups than UC Irvine Coach John Speraw. At several points this season, including back-to-back five-set victories in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament last week that propelled the Anteaters (24-5) to the four-team NCAA Championship that begins Thursday at USC's Galen Center, Speraw has summoned a substitute who has proved to be catalytic.
SPORTS
May 1, 2012
UC Irvine head men's volleyball coach John Speraw was named 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year after capturing the MPSF Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Championship. Speraw, in his 10th year at UCI, led the Anteaters to their fourth NCAA Championship appearance after the Anteaters won their second MPSF Tournament with a pair of five-set, come-from-behind wins in the semifinal and final. UCI was the fourth seed for the tournament, after finishing in a three-way tie for second a 17-5 record.
SPORTS
May 1, 2012
The UC Irvine women's water polo team is the No. 4 seed and will play No. 5-seeded Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Championship, May 11 at 8:15 p.m. at San Diego State. The Anteaters (24-6) won their fourth straight Big West Conference Tournament title and are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. UCI split two matches with Loyola Marymount (20-9) this season, posting a 12-9 win at LMU on Feb. 18 and absorbing a 9-6 loss on Feb. 25 at UCI. Stanford (23-2)
SPORTS
By Barry Faulkner | April 28, 2012
LOS ANGELES - There was nothing to lose … but the season itself. And there is, after all, nothing more important in the extant life of a college athlete. The UC Irvine men's volleyball team gave a lesson on life extension, rallying twice in three days from an 0-2 deficit in games to claim victory and the title of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at USC's Galen Center. Saturday night, it was a 20-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 15-12 win over Stanford, as the No. 2-ranked Anteaters followed up their thrilling five-game win over top-ranked USC on Thursday with yet another improbable comeback.
SPORTS
By Barry Faulkner | April 26, 2012
LOS ANGELES - UC Irvine men's volleyball coach John Speraw said USC had managed to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season title and the top national ranking without facing a most formidable opponent: pressure. But by rallying from a two-game deficit to force a fifth set in the MPSF Tournament semifinals Thursday at USC's Galen Center, Speraw's Anteaters squarely placed the burden of pressure on the No. 1-seeded hosts. By that time, UCI was at least as formidable a concern for USC, and the Anteaters prevailed to close out a 24-26, 23-25, 25-16, 28-26, 15-9 victory to keep their NCAA title hopes alive.
SPORTS
April 24, 2012
WOMEN'S GOLF Big West Conference Championships SAN LUIS OBISPO - UC Irvine finished second and Anteaters redshirt freshman Michelle Yang finished third in the three-day event completed Tuesday at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. Yang shot one-under-par 71 in the final round to make her 54-hole total 224, four shots back of champion Bev Vatananugulkit of UC Davis. Sophomore Ronnie Valerio tied for eighth (229) while junior Michelle Park tied for 13th at 231. Senior Lalita Patipaksiri tied for 16th at 233 and sophomore Sara Banke tied for 29th at 238. UCI's team score of 911 was 13 shots behind victorious UC Davis.
SPORTS
April 21, 2012
BASEBALL Long Beach State 4, UC Irvine 3 LONG BEACH - The Anteaters squandered a 3-1 lead, giving up three runs in the final two innings in the Big West Conference game Saturday. The Dirtbags' Matt Duffy lined a full-count pitch to centerfield to score Johnny Bekakis for the game-winning hit. UCI (20-15, 5-6 in conference) took the early lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Connor Spencer and a steal of home base by Jordan Fox. Christian Ramirez hit a clutch, two-out single up the middle to score Scott Gottschling from second to give UCI a 3-0 lead.