Pepperdine

IRVINE — As with most teams this early in the season, the UC Irvine men’s volleyball squad is lacking consistency. But, perhaps blessed like few others, Coach John Speraw showed Wednesday night that the Anteaters figure to have the option of a consistent Plan B. Speraw brought four players off the bench who contributed significantly to the No. 3-ranked Anteaters’ 30-27, 24-30, 30-25, 30-27, win over No. 7-ranked Pepperdine in...

The UC Irvine men's volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. UC Irvine was in second with 112 points and four first-place votes. BYU earned the top spot with 115 points and six first-place votes. Stanford was third (92) and UCLA was fourth (90) with each team garnering a first-place vote. Long Beach State and Northridge tied for the six spot with 68 points apiece, while Pepperdine's 62 points were eighth.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It's more irony than blasphemy, but Arnie's Army has overrun the Ohio State University campus, upon which sits the Jack Nicklaus Museum that honors the golf legend and one of the most famous former Buckeyes. The Arnie in question is not longtime Nicklaus rival Arnold Palmer, but Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball coach Arnie Ball. Palmer fans were known for years as Arnie's Army, and they comprised most of the large galleries that used to follow the famed golfer on the course.

MEN'S WATER POLO UC Irvine 5, Pepperdine 4 LOS ANGELES - Seventh-seeded UC Irvine edged No. 6 Pepperdine in a consolation game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday. With the win, UCI faces eighth-seeded Pacific in the fifth-place match at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Trent Baxter led the Anteaters with two goals, and Mitch Wise, Nick Pfeil and Winston Newland also scored. Newland's score in the third quarter ended up as the game-winner.

For those who experienced them, or even witnessed them, the five postseason victories that led to the UC Irvine men's volleyball program's first NCAA championship will prove unforgettable. But after the Anteaters topped Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, 30-20, 24-30, 30-23, 30-28, in the title match Saturday at Ohio State University, a reflective UCI Coach John Speraw said some of the losses during the 2007 season should be remembered just as well. "Somebody told me that that was win No. 99 for me [at UCI]

Steve Virgen Three years ago, before Greg Ethington knew he would become a part of the UC Irvine men's basketball team, he engaged in a bout against doubt. Today, doubt is the least of Ethington's worries. Last month, Ethington, who had originally planned to play for Pepperdine three years ago, moved into the starting lineup, mainly because his friend and one of his roommates, Adam Parada, struggled with foul trouble and was in the disfavor of Coach Pat Douglass.

As the UC Irvine men's volleyball team adds to its tradition of success with each successive postseason triumph, the Anteaters' fans are also stepping up. Standing up and cheering at UCI sporting events is often reserved for a few passionate students in their Completely Insane Anteaters gold T-shirts. Volleyball, with its emotional ebb and flow, has been a notable exception, especially as Coach John Speraw's squad has become one of the elite programs in the nation the last two seasons.

UC Irvine senior left fielder Chris Klemm slugged a two-run home run in the first inning and the Anteaters never trailed en route to a 6-4 Big West Conference baseball victory Sunday at UC Santa Barbara. The victory also clinched the conference-opening series for the Anteaters, who edged the Gauchos in extra innings Saturday, 7-6, after dropping Friday's opener, 7-4. Klemm, who went 2 for 4 with three RBIs, upped his team-leading average to .350.

A game at Dodger Stadium and two trips to Texas are among the highlights of the nonconference portion of the UC Irvine baseball schedule, which was released Tuesday. Following the annual Alumni Game on Feb. 4, Coach Mike Gillespie's Anteaters open the 2012 campaign at the RBI Tournament, which will be played at Minute Maid Park and the RBI facility in Houston, Feb. 17-19. UCI's home opener is against UNLV Feb. 20 and its first home weekend series is against Washington Feb. 24-26.