TRITON TOURNAMENT FIRST UP FOR MEN’S WATER POLO

A “new look” Men’s Water Polo team gets its first test of 2006 this weekend when it hosts the annual 14-team Triton Tournament at Canyonview Pool...Coach Denny Harper’s brigade goes Saturday at 10:30 AM against UC Santa Cruz and comes back at 4:30 PM to face UC Santa Barbara...If victorious in those two contests, the Tritons will likely face UC Irvine or UC Davis Sunday morning at 10:20 AM.

Following the graduation of a large, talented senior class last June, Harper has re-tooled his lineup with an interesting mix of experience and youth...Seniors Jessie Casellini and Ty Lackey and junior Adi Jerkovic will form the nucleus for the Tritons with newcomers A.J. Kotanjian and Nestor Dordoni, both juniors, and freshman James Donohoe pushing for starting slots...Senior Jeremy Randall, who spent 2005 on the sidelines, takes over for departed Colin McElroy in the cage.

NORTHWEST TRIP NEXT AS WOMEN’S SOCCER SQUEAKS BY IN OPENER

The Women’s Soccer team, which was victorious in its season opener last week, hits the road for the first time when it heads to Washington for a pair of West Region games at Central Washington (Friday) and Seattle (Monday)...Coach Brian McManus’s club knocked off both CWU (11-0) and then second-ranked Seattle (4-2) last September in La Jolla.

Last Wednesday, the Tritons were picked by conference coaches to repeat as CCAA champions but rankings and predictions didn’t count for much on the field 24 hours later as they barely avoided an upset at the hands of lightly-regarded Grand Canyon, pulling out a 2-1 decision in overtime...After a scoreless first half, the Antelopes capitalized on a sloppy defensive sequence by UCSD, scoring on their first shot of the game at 47:04...The goal seemed to motivate the Tritons who scored less than five minutes later when sweeper Caitlyn Ryan drilled a free kick into the back of the net from about five yards outside the box...UCSD, which outshot Grand Canyon, 31-3, on the night, threatened repeatedly in the latter stages of regulation and at one point earned four consecutive corner kicks, coming tantalizingly close to converting more than once...The Tritons played perhaps their best soccer of the evening in the short overtime session and got the win 4:09 in when senior Kelly Cochran tallied from close range after a furious scramble out front...McManus, starting his 20^th year at UCSD, has never lost a season opener.

MOREIRA GOAL POWERS UCSD MEN IN 2006 DEBUT

Coach Derek Armstrong’s Men’s Soccer team, which prevailed, 1-0, in its season opener against Grand Canyon last Thursday, will have a 12-day break before taking the field against perennial Division II toughie Seattle at home, Sept. 5.

Against Grand Canyon, UCSD scored early when newcomer Mark Moreira controlled a loose ball with his back to the goal, wheeled and drilled a 20-yarder past keeper Franco Carotenuto at 16:23...The Tritons had a number of other opportunities in the first half but spent most of the second 45 minutes on their heels as Grand Canyon pushed the play but never really came close to finding the equalizer...Besides Moreria, Armstrong employed three other newcomers in the starting lineup and four freshmen—Daniel Pavitt (who worked the back line with vets Matt Horne, Dustin Tannenhaus and Devon Cook), Kyle Parton, Tony Choi and David Lillo—saw significant minutes.

The Tritons were picked to finish second behind Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA South Division in a pre-season poll of league coaches.

TRITON SPIKERS PERFECT IN OPENING TOURNEY; BEGIN CCAA THIS WEEK

Year Two of the Tom Black’s coaching tenure got off to an impressive start as the Women’s Volleyball team posted a perfect record at its own UCSD Invitational, sweeping through five matches without dropping a game...Things figure to get a notch tougher this week as the Tritons open CCAA play against defending loop co-champion Cal State L.A. and Cal State Bakersfield on the road...Cal State L.A. went 4-1 at the UCSD tourney, losing a 3-1 decision to Seattle on the final day.

UCSD overcame some early first match jitters to blast Western Oregon in Thursday’s tournament opener, 3-0 (30-18 30-21, 30-28)...Game one was tied at 12 but the Tritons reeled off six straight points and never looked back...Senior setter Kristin Halvorsen handed out 36 assists and three players—Brianna Koche (12), Nicole Courtney (11) and Rebecca Bailey (10)—reached double figures in kills...Halvorsen also ripped six of UCSD’s 12 aces and had seven digs.

The Tritons breezed again in Thursday’s second tilt, turning away Western Washington, 3-0 (30-23, 30-21, 30-21) as Halvorsen delivered 40 more assists and another four aces and Courtney accounted for 15 kills...UCSD popped up 66 digs with libero Natalie Facchini (19), Halvorsen (14) and Courtney (12) leading the way.

UCSD kept the heat on Friday, stopping Bryant, 3-0 (30-15, 30-22, 30-24) and Seattle, 3-0 (30-24, 30-13, 30-18)...The Tritons outhit (.333-.024) and out-blocked (14-1) Bryant by a wide margin as junior Amber Ries reeled off 15 kills and Bailey added 11, while Courtney’s line included nine kills, nine digs and four aces...Courtney and Bailey each posted 10 kills and three aces in the win over Seattle while Koche contributed seven kills, nine blocks and 11 digs.

In the tournament finale, Black’s crew made short work of Mesa State, 3-0 (30-12, 30-19, 30-27) with Courtney’s 15 kills leading the way...Bailey knocked down 10 kills while hitting at a .450 clip and delivered three aces...Facchini’s 19 digs helped the Tritons to a plus-13 in that category...Courtney and Ries earned all-tournament honors for UCSD which was 19^th in the first D-II national Poll.

CROSS COUNTRY TO OPEN AT HOME FRIDAY

Coming off 10 days of altitude training in Mammoth, the Cross Country team gets its first look at “live” competition Friday when it hosts Point Loma, Cal State San Marcos and San Diego Christian on its home course...The women will go 2.5 miles and the men 4.0.

In Mammoth, senior Dan Holligan and junior Diane Dunn swept through the two time trials with top times...The men’s runs were at 2.5 miles, 4.0 miles and women went 2.0 miles and 2.5 miles...Besides Holligan and Dunn, Coach Ted Van Arsdale had praise for the performances of freshman Jesse Morrill and sophomore Jake LeVieux who were running two-three on the men’s side and freshman Marie Schaper, top five on both outings for a veteran-oriented women’s unit...Holligan and junior Emily McGregor were first up on their respective sides in Sunday’s traditional “Hershey’s Run,” a severe ascent in soft dirt...Althugh just over a mile in actual distance, the difficult climb took Holligan over 10.5 minutes and McGregor more than 12.

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