UC Irvine’s Wing tops circuit

UC Irvine senior outside hitter Kelly Wing has been named the Big

West Conference women’s volleyball Player of the Year, the first

Anteater to receive the title.

Wing joins Popi Edwards as the only other UCI women’s volleyball

player to be a four-time all-conference choice, spending three years

on the first-team and a stint on the all-freshman team in 2001.

Wing, an All-American selection, is currently third in the nation

and the leader in the Big West in kills per game (5.91).

Senior middle blocker Sami Cash joins Wing as a first-team

all-conference selection. Cash leads the Big West in hitting

percentage (.454) and is the third Anteater to reach 300 career

blocks.

Senior setter Ashlie Hain, who led the Big West with 1,393

assists, was named all-conference honorable mention. Junior middle

blocker Amanda Vasquez, who is eighth in the conference with 108

blocks, was also an honorable mention.

UCI’s Erickson honored

* BASEBALL: UC Irvine sophomore closer Blair Erickson, who set a

Big West Conference freshman record with 17 saves last spring, has

been named 2005 preseason first-team All-American by the National

Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Erickson, was Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and also was

first-team all-conference last season.

He also received seven All-American honors and was invited to the

2004 USA Baseball national team trials.

He was 1-3 with a 4.10 ERA. He struck out 51 and surrendered 33

hits in 37 1/3 innings for the Anteaters, who made their first trip

to the NCAA Division I regionals.

UCI is scheduled to open its 2005 season Feb. 4 at California.

Anteaters sign two under Edles

* TENNIS: Two players have signed national letters of intent to

join the UC Irvine women’s tennis program in 2005-06, Anteaters Coach

Mike Edles announced Friday.

Clare Fermin from Troy High and Heidi Kaloi from Wahiawa, Hawaii

will both bring solid credentials to Irvine.

Fermin, the younger sister of UCI junior Nikki Fermin, is No. 31

in Southern California 18s singles in rankings released Nov. 15. She

recently won the Freeway League singles title and was a CIF Southern

Section doubles finalist in 2002.

She led Troy to the CIF Southern Section Division II title on

Monday.

Kaloi, playing for Kahmehameha High, won the Hawaii High School

Athletic Association singles championship in 2003 and was runner-up

in 2004. She was also HHSAA doubles champion in 2002 with her sister

Janalle.

“Both Clare and Heidi bring a great deal of skill and firepower to

our program,” Edles said.