Volleyball

IRVINE - The quickest way to solve the puzzle is to find the missing piece. The UC Irvine men's volleyball team found enough personnel pieces to complete a 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory over visiting UC Santa Barbara on Thursday. The victory extended the Anteaters' winning streak to seven matches and solidified the No. 1 national ranking they share with BYU. UCI Coach David Kniffin substituted with purpose after the No. 15-ranked Gauchos seized the momentum in the first set. "We were prepared from the game-plan standpoint," Kniffin said.

COSTA MESA - The shorthanded Orange Coast College men's volleyball team pushed defending state champion Long Beach City College to the limit on Friday night before the Vikings found the upper hand down the stretch for a five-set win inside OCC's Peterson Gym. Greg Utupo had 19 kills and Austin Arcala added 10 kills to lead the undefeated Vikings past the Pirates, 25-16, 28-30, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10 in a nonconference matchup. The Pirates (2-2), playing without the services of two starters - Austin Bagby and Cody Martin - overcame a sluggish start and gave the Vikings (4-0)

LOS ANGELES - John Speraw may have taken his talents to Westwood, but the balance of power, at least for now, remains at his former UC Irvine home. For the second time this season, the Anteaters, who Speraw led to three NCAA titles in a 10-season tenure that ended when he returned to his alma mater in the recent off-season, topped the Bruins in five games. This time, the 25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball triumph came at Pauley Pavilion.

IRVINE - UC Irvine's run to the 2012 NCAA men's volleyball championship was a tribute to shape shifting. With seemingly interchangeable parts, the Anteaters drew upon their bench at a moment's notice, no matter the stakes. While that trend continues this season, in which a congested January schedule has created opportunities through injuries and lulls in performance, it appears that the most valuable addition to the No. 3-ranked Anteaters' lineup just might be adrenaline. With a majority of the 1,701 in attendance at the Bren Events Center on Friday fueling the hosts' competitive juices, the result was a pressure-packed 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16, 15-13 victory over Long Beach State in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match that was anyone's for the taking.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, who won their third straight Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball at last summer's London Games, have been named 2012 Sportswomen of the Year by the Los Angeles Sports Council. The duo, considered the greatest female beach volleyball team of all time, will be honored at the eighth annual LA Sports Awards, to be held March 3 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. May-Treanor, a former Newport Harbor High standout, and Walsh Jennings capped off their illustrious Olympic careers by defeating fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in the final.

IRVINE - Both coaches came in wanting to mix things up. And, well, the rematch of the 2012 NCAA men's volleyball final between defending champion and top-ranked UC Irvine and visiting USC on Friday certainly delivered in that department. The No. 8-ranked Trojans, who were swept in their season opener at UC San Diego on Thursday, turned the tables to stun previously unbeaten UCI, 25-21, 25-23, 27-25, in front of 1,726 at the Bren Events Center. For the Anteaters, who won the season-opening UC Santa Barbara Invitational and improved to 4-0 by topping No. 4-ranked Pepperdine in three sets on Tuesday, it put an end to talk of an unbeaten season.

Olympic beach volleyball silver medalists April Ross and Jennifer Kessy will make a special appearance at the Ritual JuiceBox in Costa Mesa on Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. Ross, a former Newport Harbor High standout and a Costa Mesa resident, and Kessy, a Laguna Beach resident, are being plugged as the "January Ambassadors" for Ritual JuiceBox. The duo will offer exclusive fitness tips. Ritual JuiceBox will carry Cashew Crunch, a protein shake in honor of Ross and Kessy, with 10% of sales going to the Olympians' charity of choice: Kids Play International.