Water polo wins again

The U.S. men’s water polo team, which boasts five former UC Irvine

players, continued its winning ways Tuesday defeating Kazakhstan,

9-6. Former Anteaters Jeff Powers and Dan Klatt each scored a goal

for Team USA (2-0).

Powers’ seven-meter goal with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter

gave the U.S. a 6-4 lead after a sea-saw first half that had four

ties. It was Powers’ second goal of the Olympics. Klatt’s

man-advantage goal with 5:24 left in the game stretched the American

lead to 8-4. It was Klatt’s first goal of the Olympics. Ryan Bailey,

another UCI product, had a goal in the opening game against Croatia,

a 7-6 victory for USA.

UCI alum Omar Amr is a perfect three-for-three in sprints for Team

USA, who next play 2003 world champion Hungary (2-0) early Thursday

morning. Hungary, the gold-medal winners at the 2000 Olympics in

Sydney, Australia, beat Serbia and Montenegro, 6-4, and Croatia,

10-8.

Only Italy’s Stefano Tempesti (18), Russia’s Nikolay Maksimov (17)

and Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Shvedov (16) have more saves than U.S.

goaltender Brandon Brooks (14), who has started both games in front

of UCI product Genai Kerr.

In other Olympic action:

Corona del Mar High product Taylor Dent advanced to the third

round of the men’s tennis tournament beating Slovakia’s Dominiki

Hrbaty, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Dent, No. 59 in the Association of Tennis

Professionals will face Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia today at 7 a.m.

Pacific time. Ljubicic, No. 20 on the ATP, beat Sweeden’s Joachim

Johansson, 7-6 (3), 6-4).

Dent’s cousin and Newport Harbor High graduate Misty May and her

partner Kerri Walsh continued their dominance of their beach

volleyball pool. May and Walsh beat Marrit Leenstra and Rebekka

Kadjik from the Netherlands, 21-11, 21-13. May-Walsh (2-0) will face

undefeated Eva Celbova and Sona Novakova from the Czech Republic

Thursday at 11 a.m.