COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL : UCLA to Face No. 2 Stanford in WIVA Semifinals Tonight

Second-ranked Stanford (21-3) plays UCLA, ranked No. 3 in one poll and No. 4 in another, at 5 p.m. tonight in the semifinals of the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

The Cardinal (21-3) defeated Hawaii, 3-0, in the opening round Wednesday, while the Bruins have won nine consecutive matches, including a 3-0 victory over USC in the WIVA opener. In their only meeting this season, 2 1/2 months ago, Stanford came back from a 2-0 deficit and beat the Bruins The semifinal at 7:30 between Cal State Long Beach (27-3) and Cal State Northridge (18-11) showcases three of the top six hitters in the nation. Northridge, ranked fifth by Volleyball Monthly and sixth by the coaches, defeated UC Santa Barbara in the first round, 3-0. The Matadors, are led by Ken Lynch and Coley Kyman, ranked fourth and sixth nationally in kills.

Top-ranked Long Beach, led by the nation’s top hitter, Brent Hilliard, brings a two-match losing streak into the match. Pepperdine (22-4), ranked No. 3 by Volleyball Monthly and No. 4 by the coaches, upset the 49ers Wednesday, 3-1, and earned the WIVA’s automatic bid to the NCAA final four. The 49ers were also beaten by UCLA a week ago.

The winners advance to Saturday’s final match at 7:30 p.m. At stake is a possible at-large berth in the final four, April 24-25 at Ball State in Muncie, Ind.