Volleyball

recruiting CRAWFORD HALL - UC Irvine women's teams, soccer and volleyball, received added help in their quests to become contenders in their respective divisions. The Anteaters' women's soccer team added five new players through recruiting, while Coach Charlie Brande's volleyball squad received four after athletes signed their national letters of intent. For Coach Marine Cano's women's soccer team, forward Lauren Baer (Westlake High School), the 2001 Marmonte League Offensive Player of the Year who also helped her Southern Cal United club soccer team win a state championship, is one of five new players.

Orange Coast College sophomore middle blocker Rebecca Lowe will continue her athletic and academic careers at New York Institute of Technology, Pirates women’s volleyball coach Chuck Cutenese said. Lowe racked up 151 kills and 38 solo blocks, earning second-team, All-Orange Empire Conference honors along the way. She earned a spot on OCC’s all-time single-season record list with a .448 hitting percentage and was named a team captain for her leadership, both on and off the floor.

Mere days after returning from Beijing, China, where as an assistant coach, John Speraw helped the United States win the men’s volleyball gold medal, Speraw will be taking his UC Irvine men’s team to Venezuela for a two-week trip, beginning today. The Anteaters will arrive in Buenos Aires today, the first stop in a three-city tour that will include three exhibition matches, followed by a tournament. The team will return home Sept. 15. “It gives us some extra days of training and it allows us to get some international experience,” Speraw said.

LONG BEACH — As he and his partner Russ Marchewka were warming up for their last match Thursday, a yellow-and-white Wilson volleyball was making a beeline towards Eyal Zimet's bottom. Thunk! Zimlet turned around to face his opponent, Justin Phipps, sporting a boyish grin. As it turned out, the thunk may have helped toss Zimet and Marchewka into today's main draw of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals' Long Beach Open. Out of the seven teams featuring players from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, only one made it through the three rounds in the qualifier to today's main draw.

LONG BEACH - The Orange Coast College men's volleyball team went old school before taking on El Camino in the semifinals of the California Community College Men's Volleyball Championship Friday. The Pirates' throwback methods proved instrumental in a 25-17, 25-22, 25-22 victory over the Warriors. For the Bucs' final practice of the season, Coast Coach Chuck Cutenese said his team followed OCC tradition and wore 1970s attire -- tiny shorts, tank tops, head bands and knee-high socks.

Ben Bodipo-Memba has been named an assistant coach for the UC Irvine women’s volleyball team, Coach Paula Weishoff announced. Prior to joining the Anteater staff, Bodipo-Memba spent seven years on staff at Georgia Tech, serving as the program’s associate head coach the last two years. During his tenure, he helped the Yellow Jackets to three NCAA appearances, two Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles (2003, 2004) and an ACC Tournament championship (2002). Bodipo-Memba was in charge of the Georgia Tech offense for five years before becoming the program’s defensive coordinator in 2007, producing three honorable mention All-American middle blockers and four all-conference selections.

When you're shooting for the stars, it helps to have some assistance to keep you focused on what you're doing. In the case of Kevin Hansen, a Corona del Mar High product trying out for the U.S. men's national volleyball team with hopes of playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he has had a bit of inspiration: his two older sisters. "Both [Erika and Kristin] played at Princeton, so I had something to shoot for as I was growing up," said Hansen, 24. "They've been supportive of me, as have my parents."

The First Annual Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball alumni matches on March 6 were extremely successful with spirited play, renewed camaraderie, and a special evening for local volleyball players both present and past. It was obvious to Dan Glenn’s Newport Harbor High team and Steve Conti’s Corona del Mar squad, that volleyball has been played at a high level in this area for a long time. The 70s and 80s match was the best attended as both teams had a number of players.

Vanguard University announced Thursday that head women’s volleyball coach Erikka Gulbranson, as well as head baseball coach Scott Mallernee, have resigned. Gulbranson spent seven years as head coach, and leaves as the winningest coach in Vanguard volleyball history. She took over a three-win team in 2001, and led it to a winning record in just her third year. “Erikka completely shaped the volleyball program into one that is not only competitive in the [Golden State Athletic Conference]