McLeod and Larsen, seniors to remember

Today at 6 p.m. the 2002 NCAA Tournament for women’s volleyball

will be announced on a selection show on ESPN News. UC Irvine can be

described as a bubble team, yet the Anteaters are against great odds

to make the tournament. Regardless of that situation, UCI seniors

Chanda McLeod and Rebecca Larsen have left a lasting impression for

the Anteaters. In addition, Coach Charlie Brande has built a team

that will hardly be described as a rebuilding squad next year. The

Anteaters, to use the proverbial, have turned the corner.

It’s been a banner year for the UCI women’s volleyball team, and

in the background McLeod and Larsen provided dramatics to close out

the season. The Anteaters finished the Big West Conference season

with two wins at Crawford Hall and finished with a 10-8 conference

record, marking the most conference wins in school history. The 10-8

finish is also the first time in 19 years of Big West action that a

UCI women’s volleyball squad has posted a winning league record.

And, check this out, Larsen leads the NCAA in hitting percentage

at .430. On Friday night, McLeod recorded 12 kills and 12 digs for

her 17th double-double this season to help lead the Anteaters to a

four-game win over San Jose State in the Thanksgiving Tournament at

Long Beach State.

She added four aces to come within three of tying UCI’s season

record holder Kim Poppa, who had 56 in 1983. The Anteaters improved

to 18-11 on the season.

McLeod and Larsen closed out their Big West careers by leading the

Anteaters to a three-game win over Utah State Nov. 23. UCI held what

was an emotional ceremony for the seniors playing in their final home

match. McLeod overcame back pains that kept her out of two matches

and played in the win over Utah State.

“It was very special,” McLeod said of the ceremony and of her

final match. “I didn’t expect it to be very emotional. But it was. I

needed one kill to get 1,000 for my career and they announced that.

Then it all sunk in that this was it. I wanted to give everything

that I had left because I wanted to end on a high note. During the

ceremony, I looked over and I saw my dad crying. That’s when I kind

of lost it. I couldn’t believe him. I’ve only seen him cry one other

time in my life.”

The setting was also emotional for Coach Brande.

“With Chanda and Rebecca, they have been here since (assistants)

Laura (Alford), Marcia (Bradbeer) and I have been here,” Brande said.

“They have worked hard. We have put up a good program because of

them. Rebecca has gone from a JC player (a Golden West College

transfer) to a dominant middle blocker. That has been exciting to

watch. It’s hard for me with Chanda, because we go way back. I

basically coached her since she was in club seven years ago.”

The promise of the Anteaters’ future is led by sophomore Kelly

Wing, who was named Big West Player of the Week after her

performances led to three-game sweeps over Idaho and Utah State. The

outside hitter put up a combined 28 kills, 24 digs, four aces and a

.410 hitting percentage over the course of the two matches.

Sophomore Sami Cash, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, as well as 6-5

sophomore Dana Kurzbard, freshman Terbrie Taylor and sophomore setter

Ashlie Hain, and Newport Harbor High products sophomore Brenda

Waterman and freshman Christine Woller represent the core of UCI’s

future.

A reminder:

The Anteaters will only lose two players from this season’s squad

that provided such a turnaround.

* While we’re on the topic of team’s with promising futures,

don’t worry about the UCI men’s basketball team, which opened the

season with two losses in the Sooner Invitational last week. The

Anteaters won’t hit their stride until the conference season. And, if

they find momentum before that, UCI fans should find that very

fortunate. UCI senior forward Jordan Harris said there is no go-to

guy on the team this year, yet there are several scoring options.

It appears that 7-foot junior center Adam Parada would fill the

role of go-to guy, but if the game is on the line, the Anteaters will

also look to junior forward Stanislav Zuzak, who is on the verge of a

MVP-type season. Zuzak, 6-10, 235 pounds, should be a handful for Big

West teams to defend. He always could hurt you outside, and now he

has an inside game that will provide the Anteaters and Coach Pat

Douglass with their ultimate goal: Balance.

* At Vanguard University, sophomore transfer James Hartman has

won the Lion of the Week award. Hartman, who transferred from Irvine

Valley College, has stepped into a starting role for the men’s

basketball team. l

He helped the Lions get the season started with a 2-1 record,

narrowly missing a perfect beginning with a two-point overtime loss

to NCAA Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Hartman, a 6-3 guard, averaged 17.5 points per game in two games

this past week.

* Also at Vanguard, Sarah Hall and Tony Magana closed out their

cross country seasons at the NAIA National Championships at the

University of Wisconsin-Parkside Nov. 23.

Both runners are from Estancia High and Orange Coast College. Hall

finished 60th among 225 runners with a 19:39 time, 24 seconds off the

All-American pace that included the top 30 finishers at the event.

Magana finished 156th overall among 252 runners on the 8,000-meter

course with a 28:00.