Uc Irvine

Aspiring thespians can attend a one-day workshop on the craft of acting, as well as college and career choices in that field. UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts is hosting a Saturday Academy in Drama from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 28, for teenagers thinking about an acting career or studying it in college. The academy includes a workshop in acting, improvisation and musical theater, a tour of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts facilities, and a question-and-answer session with a panel of graduate students and faculty, including professors and directors Richard Brestoff and Dennis Castellano.

Irvine residents living near UC Irvine now have a new healthy-dining alternative. KOBA Tofu Grill, owned by UCI alumna Carol Choi, has replaced Blockbuster in the shopping center off Campus and California. Although the name showcases its abundance of vegetarian-friendly dishes, the Korean barbecue restaurant has a diverse menu. It includes items such as sauteed kimchi, seafood pancakes and the house special pork. Choi shows her dedication to her academic clientele, the city and her alma mater by donating 1% of proceeds from every sale to either the UCI Scholarship Fund or the Irvine Public School Foundation.

Much like the men, the UC Irvine women's golf team is working through inconsistency through the first part of the season. The Anteaters finished tied for ninth in the three-round Price's Give 'Em Five Intercollegiate at the New Mexico State Golf Course last week to go with sixth- and second-place finishes in their prior two fall tournaments. With one senior and junior respectively, UCI boasts a young team that is learning to play with one another and hone its course management.

UC Irvine has been ranked second nationwide in this week's Writer Wednesday, the Huffington Post article that compiled what its editors consider the best master's of fine arts writing programs. The university received the high rankings due to its notable alumni — who include Alice Sebold ("The Lovely Bones") and Michael Chabon ("The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay") — as well as an extensive focus on creative writing, which includes MFA readings and a writer's workshop with faculty.

When/where: Today, noon, at UC Irvine Key Anteaters: Sr. F Tayna Taylor (10 goals, nine assists); Jr. D CoCo Goodson (eight goals); Sr. GK Danielle de Seriere (10 shutouts, 0.68 goals-against average); Sr. MF Judy Christopher. Key 49ers: So. F Nadia Link (eight goals, one assist); Sr. MF Lindsay Bullock (seven goals, two assists); Jr. MF Shawna Gordon (four goals, seven assists); Jr. GK Emily Kingsborough (four shutouts, 1.00 goals-against average). Breakdown: The Big West Conference Tournament championship game is the third for the No. 11-ranked Anteaters (17-1-2)

Former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson is scheduled to speak at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. "An Evening with Magic Johnson," features the man who led the Lakers to five NBA titles, played in 11 all-star games and led the original Dream Team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. General admission is $12, $10 for UCI faculty/staff, alumni association members or non-UCI students. UCI students can enter for $5. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Bren Events Center, (949)

Corona del Mar High product Juliane Piggott will transfer from UCLA to play women’s volleyball at UC Irvine, Anteaters Coach Paula Weishoff announced Monday. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter, the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year as a senior in 2006, played two seasons at UCLA. She averaged 1.98 kills per set last season, while posting 35 total blocks and nine ace serves. She was also the Pacific Coast League MVP and an All-CIF Southern Section performer at CdM. In other UCI women’s volleyball news, Chelsea Ellis, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker who was a junior last season, has left the program due to academic issues.

UC Irvine will have three competitors at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Sacramento today through Saturday. UCI's trio includes junior Julian Eison (high jump), senior Ricky Barnes (1,500 meters) and sophomore Lauren Collins (heptathlon). Eison qualified with a fifth-place finish of 6 feet, 11 inches in the high jump at the NCAA West Regional in Eugene, Ore., last weekend. Barnes, who finished sixth in the 1,500 meters at the regional (3 minutes, 46.71 seconds)

UC Irvine's Anteaters are about to start chowing down on a lot more oranges. Anteater athletes planted a grove of the citrus-bearing trees Wednesday afternoon near the Crawford Athletics Complex along West Peltason Drive. "They will grow there for years and years," said women's tennis team member Stephanie Hammel of the trees. "The fruit will give members of the community or athletes the opportunity to come here, pick the fruit and enjoy it. " The 24 trees were donated by the Orange County Great Park and are part of a project to upgrade the pool score board and beautify the surrounding area, said Cathy Lawhon, university director of media relations and community outreach.

UC Irvine outside hitter Kevin Tillie has been National Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. after helping the Anteaters to victories over then-No. 6 Pepperdine and No. 5 USC last week. Against the Waves on Wednesday, Tillie had 13 kills and hit .478 while adding five digs for the No. 2-ranked Anteaters. Two days later against USC, he had a team-high 18 kills while hitting .567. The junior transfer from Thompson Rivers University in Canada, had just one error in the match, while adding three block assists.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO UC Santa Barbara Invitational SANTA BARBARA — Jessy Cardey scored five combined goals to lead UC Irvine to a pair of wins on Sunday. UCI (3-1) beat Sonoma State, 12-4, and Cal State Northridge, 9-4. Cardey has scored in a UCI-record 21 straight.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Vanguard 43, Biola 38 COSTA MESA — Allison Burns had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench to lead the host Lions in the Golden State Athletic Conference game Saturday. It was the seventh straight win for VU (15-3, 9-1 in conference), which posted a 47-34 rebounding advantage to overcome its 22-17 turnover deficit. Biola fell to 12-8, 4-6. * SOFTBALL Doubleheader COSTA MESA — Vanguard University swept a pair from nonconference visitor Cal Lutheran on Saturday, winning the opener, 3-2, with a walk-off run in the seventh and blanking the Lancers on a three-hitter in the second game.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UC Riverside 70, UC Irvine 67 IRVINE - Jacquelyn Marshall scored 16 points for the Anteaters in the Big West Conferene game Thursday. Anete Klintsone had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Kiara Belen and Kassandra McCalister both scored 11 points for UCI (9-12, 5-3 in conference). McCalister led the Anteaters in rebounds with nine. UC Irvine led, 30-29, at halftime. UCI committed 23 turnovers and the Highlanders (4-16, 2-6)

WOMEN'S TENNIS UCLA 7, UC Irvine 0 LOS ANGELES — Kristina Smith lost one set in a tiebreaker to pace the visiting Anteaters in the nonconference match Wednesday. Smith was defeated, 6-1, 7-6 (4) by Robin Anderson at No. 2 singles. UCI fell to 1-2, while No. 4-0-ranked UCLA is 1-0.

The novelty of having a national championship contender has long worn off for the UC Irvine men's volleyball program. So, the fact that this year's veteran-laden team was picked to finish second in the sport's elite conference, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, prompts neither excitement, nor concern from 10th-year coach John Speraw. "I think we'll win more matches than we lose and I think we'll be in the mix in the end," said Speraw, who guided UCI to NCAA championships in 2007 and 2009.

IRVINE - The fleeting scent of a UC Irvine men's basketball victory Thursday night was rendered even more fragrant with the advent of Derrick Flowers in bloom. The Anteaters' junior point guard had a career-high nine assists and, combined with a solid performance at UCLA on Tuesday, appears to be making the most of an opening in the starting lineup created by freshman Aaron Wright's right-knee injury four games ago. Flowers was one of a few bright spots for the Anteaters (3-9)

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Wyoming 51, UC Irvine 42 LARAMIE, Wyo. - Jazmyne White and Anete Klintsone scored eight points each to lead the Anteaters in the nonconference game Wednesday. White also led UCI (4-8) with eight rebounds. Wyoming (4-7) led, 32-14, at the half. Wyoming's Ashley Sickles scored a game-high 24 points.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UC Irvine 88, Santa Clara 82 IRVINE - The host Anteaters produced a 10-0 run in the final 2:54 and senior Kassandra McAllister had all 19 of her points in the second half in the nonconference game Saturday at the Bren Events Center. McAllister made four free throws in the final 39 seconds, was nine of 11 from the foul line and added nine assists. Jasmine Bernard (16 points), Jasmyne White (14) and Methlyn Onogomuho (12) also paced the UCI offense.