Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA - Want a sure-fire way to boost the confidence of a high school girls' water polo team? Send them on the road, way north on Highway 101, to begin the season. Take away three of their starters for the weekend, girls regarded as some of the best prep players in the nation. Oh, subtract another starter for a game, too. Then have that team beat one of the top teams in CIF Southern Section Division 1. It happened Saturday, and Corona del Mar was that team coming back down Highway 101 with so much confidence.

CORONA DEL MAR - Two of Corona del Mar High's talented players showed up to campus to play more tennis on Saturday. Alec Adamson and Pedro Fernandez spent the morning in San Diego and Santa Monica competing in different United States Tennis Assn. junior tournaments. They made it back into town in time for an afternoon high school match between the Sea Kings, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, and No. 6 Santa Barbara. The Dons also had two standouts at separate tennis events, but they didn't expect them back.

Ally McCormick's status seemed in doubt prior to her senior year with the Corona del Mar High girls' water polo team. Consider that water polo is really a year-long sport at CdM, with night leagues in the spring and fall and various tournaments in the summer. Then consider that McCormick did not touch a water polo ball from late February until September. "I think there was some question among some of her teammates," CdM Coach Sam Bailey said. "They didn't really know where she stood with things, but I didn't really question it. She's a competitor.

SANTA BARBARA ? Newport Harbor High's boys' volleyball team advanced to the finals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, finishing second on Saturday. The Sailors (19-7), seeded No. 2 in the tournament, defeated No. 3 seed Santa Barbara 26-24, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15, in the semifinals. They then lost to No. 1 seed Valencia in the championship, 25-23, 25-19, 25-15. Brett Auer, who was named to the all-tournament team, had 14 kills against Santa Barbara and 11 against Valencia.

Glasgow-Szakos Patrick and Martha Glasgow of Newport Beach announce the engagement of their daughter Erin Glasgow of Santa Barbara to Mike Szakos of Santa Barbara. The bride-elect graduated from Newport Harbor High School and UC Santa Barbara. The future bridegroom, son of Andy and Eileen Szakos of Fairfax, Va., graduated from Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Va., and UC Santa Barbara. A spring 2004 wedding is planned in Santa Barbara.

BOYS' WATER POLO Bellarmine Memorial Cup SAN JOSE - Newport Harbor won twice Friday to advance to the semifinals where it will meet rival Corona del Mar on Saturday. The Sailors (19-3) beat Bellarmine, 14-8, to advance to the semifinals. Curtis Fink and Preston Lee scored three goals each. K.J. Kelly, Dan Stevens and Henry McNamara added two goals each for Newport Harbor, which beat beat Clovis West, 16-4, earlier in the day. * Lakeside 16, Estancia 3 LAKE ELSINORE - Hayden Swift scored three goals for the Eagles in the nonleague game Friday.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UC Irvine 61, UC Santa Barbara 53 SANTA BARBARA — The Anteaters' Kassandra McCalister had 21 points and six assists to lead all players in the Big West Conference game Thursday. Jacquelyn Marshall added 19 points and Methlyn Onogomuho had nine rebounds and four points for UCI (7-10, 3-2 in conference), which trailed, 22-21, at halftime. It was the Anteaters' first road win of the season and third straight win. The victory snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Gauchos (6-8, 1-2)

SAN JOSE — The Newport Water Polo Foundation's under-18, 16 and 14 girls' teams earned solid finishes at the S&R Sport Junior Olympics Water Polo Championships on Sunday. The NWPF 12-and-under team finished fifth with a 10-4 win on Sunday. Commerce won the championship for the division. In the 16-and-under division, NWPF finished seventh with a 6-4 win over Santa Barbara. Los Angeles came away with the title. The NWPF 18-and-under team, settled for eighth after losing to Chino Hills Water Polo club, 5-4. Santa Barbara was crowned champion in the division.

Newport Beach resident Stewart Hagestad was runner-up in the Southern California Golf Assn. Match Play Championship, completed Wednesday at Sandpiper Golf Club in Santa Barbara. Hagestad was defeated, two and one, by Niall Platt from Santa Barbara in the final. Earlier Wednesday, Hagestad beat Brandon Gama from Santa Barbara, two and one, in the semifinals. An incoming senior at USC, Hagestad is set to compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship, Monday through Aug. 19 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.

SANTA BARBARA - Two state crowns. Not a bad weekend's work for Orange Coast College athlete Michelle Icban, who captured two titles at the California Community College Track and Field Finals in Santa Barbara held Friday and Saturday. Icban finished first in both the 5,000 meters (17:40.64) and the 10,000 (36:42.42). OCC's Jennifer Finaldi soared 11-6 to become the state champion in the pole vault at the weekend competition. Her mark is also a school record.