Ucsb

George Kuntz has learned not to get too excited about mid-season success. But the UC Irvine men's soccer coach was fibbing somewhat behind a muted grin Saturday night, when he was quick to call the Anteaters' 2-0 Big West Conference win at UC Santa Barbara "Just one game. " A win for any Big West program over UCSB, which has won seven conference regular-season and conference tournament titles in the last 10 seasons, is always a treasured accomplishment, particularly at always rustic and usually rowdy Harder Stadium.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team, which features four former Corona del Mar High players, including Scott Slaughter and Dylan Davis, nearly won its first NCAA championship, but lost in five sets to Ohio State Saturday at Penn State. The No. 8-seeded Buckeyes beat the No. 3 Gauchos, 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-9, to win their first NCAA title in men's volleyball. UCSB had defeated Ohio State seven straight times prior to Saturday. It was the first time the Buckeyes beat the Gauchos.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — UC Santa Barbara middle blocker Dylan Davis, a Corona del Mar High product, has led the Gauchos men's volleyball team to the brink of history. Davis had a career-high 15 kills and set a tournament hitting record Thursday night as the No. 4-seeded Gauchos stunned top-seeded USC, 29-27, 24-26, 25-15, 25-18, in an NCAA Tournament semifinal at Penn State. UC Santa Barbara will play Ohio State on Saturday in the NCAA championship match. The Gauchos (18-14)

BASEBALL UC Irvine 13, Pacific 7 STOCKTON — Senior left fielder Drew Hillman went six for six and drove in two runs and junior first baseman Jordan Leyland was four for five with a homer and four RBIs to help the Anteaters clinch the Best West Conference three-game series Sunday. Hillman is only the second Anteater to get six hits in a game. Christian Ramirez was three for five with two RBIs for UCI (23-9, 6-3 in conference). Andy Lines (3-1) earned the win with two relief innings.

IRVINE — There can come a point when the prevalence of losing gives a team nothing to lose. UC Irvine senior guard Darren Moore said Coach Russell Turner told his Anteaters as much heading into Saturday's Big West Conference home game against UC Santa Barbara. "Coach Turner told us from the jump, to come out here and play as hard as we can," Moore said after the Anteaters procured a 66-63 win to snap a five-game losing streak, the team's longest of the season. "He didn't want us to worry about anything — the standings, the TV [regional telecast on Fox Sports West]

MEN'S BASKETBALL UC Santa Barbara 71, UC Irvine 58 SANTA BARBARA — Eric Wise had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Anteaters in the Golden State Athletic Conference game Thursday. It was Wise's third double-double of the season and ninth of his career. Mike Wilder and Daman Starring scored 11 points each for UCI (7-10, 1-3 in conference). The Anteaters closed to within 51-47 on a basket by Darren Moore with 6:08 left, but the Gauchos scored the next seven points to go up, 58-47, with 2:43 left and UCSB hit 11 free throws in the final 2:08.

IRVINE — The only four-letter acronym in the Big West Conference is UC Santa Barbara. But for an emerging UC Irvine women's basketball program, it might as well be UC Stumbling Block. The visiting Gauchos, who came in with a 216-27 conference record since the 1995-96 season, and had won 17 of their previous 18 contests against UCI, extended that dominance with a 69-58 victory Thursday night at the Bren Events Center. The win knocked the Anteaters (11-5, 3-1 in conference)

One week from its Big West Conference opener, the UC Irvine men's basketball team shares the conference lead in victories with Pacific. With a 6-5 record heading into Thursday's nonconference clash at UCLA, most would say the Anteaters, under first-year coach Russell Turner, have performed better than preseason expectations. Even more encouraging would be the fact that junior Eric Wise, a two-time second-team all-conference performer who led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists in 2009-10, has played a full game in only one of those wins.

FULLERTON — The UC Irvine men's soccer team clinched the Big West Conference regular-season championship with a 3-1 win at Cal State Fullerton Saturday. The win gives No. 7-ranked UCI (14-2-3, 7-1-2 in conference) the No. 1 seed in the four-team conference tournament that begins Wednesday. UCI, which has won the last two Big West Tournament titles, will play host to Cal State Fullerton in a 7 p.m. semifinal. UCI senior Joel Bagby scored an unassisted goal in the 43rd minute to erase a 1-0 deficit to the Titans (6-11-2, 4-6)

IRVINE — A second Big West Conference regular-season title in three seasons will have to wait. And, perhaps even more disappointing for the UC Irvine men's soccer team, so too will the acquisition of bragging rights against rival UC Santa Barbara. The two perennial Big West powers, who also occupy a high profile nationally, failed to settle any score with a scoreless tie Saturday night at UCI. A victory would have clinched the Big West regular-season crown for the No. 7-ranked Anteaters (13-1-3, 6-0-2 in conference)