 It’s said that there is no off-season for sports any more. That’s certainly true for some of the Bruins as four stars from UCLA’s fall women’s teams are in training with the U.S. National Teams.
Football:
>> UCLA announced today that the home game against Arizona scheduled for Sept. 27 has been moved to Sept. 20 at the request of television. The Bruins will now play Fresno State, Tennessee, at BYU and Arizona on consecutive weekends before their first bye.
>> Bruin fullback Michael Pitre, lost for the entire 2007 season due to injury, is filing for a sixth year of eligibility with the NCAA. He has been told by UCLA that his scholarship will be honored for his final year in school, whether he is allowed to play or not.
Softball:
>> The pre-season polls are out and perennial NCAA title contender UCLA is considered good, but not great. The Bruins were ranked 10th in the nation in the ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll and 17th in the NFCA national coaches poll. In the Pac-10 coaches poll, the Bruins were ranked third behind Arizona (pre-season national title favorite) and Arizona State. UCLA starts play Feb. 8 at Easton Stadium on campus.
Men’s Golf:
>> The Bruins were ranked second nationally going into this week’s PING Invitational in Arizona, but have fallen well back after two rounds of the three-round tournament. Senior Kevin Chappell was the individual leader, however, with the final round being played today.
Men’s Tennis:
>> The match between No. 9 UCLA and No. 17 Pepperdine that was re-scheduled for Monday has been moved to today at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, beginning at 3 p.m.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Junior Laef Barnes was the highlight for the Bruins in the Washington Preview in Seattle, running the mile in a lifetime best of 4:03.28. That’s good enough for a provisional NCAA qualifying mark for the indoor nationals in his first race of the season.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Fourth-ranked UCLA (6-3) will play the first of four home matches with a non-conference tilt against Cal Baptist (top-ranked in the NAIA) on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion starting at 7 p.m. It’s also Club and High School team night and teams can register by calling (310) 206-3444.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> The No. 8 Bruins barely got by No. 9 Stanford, 195.050 to 195.025 last Sunday, as senior Tasha Schwikert scored a needed 9.8 on the floor exercise to seal the win and got exactly that score. Anna Li and Brittani McCullough went 1-2 in the all-around for the third straight meet, but Kristina Comforte suffered a knee injury during the floor exercise and had to be carried off the floor. She had an MRI on Monday and will see a doctor today for further review.
Women’s Soccer:
>> UCLA’s dynamic duo of striker Lauren Cheney and midfielder Tina DiMartino have been called up to the training camp for the U.S. National Team, taking place at The Home Depot Center in Carson. Both played on the winning Four Nations Tournament team in China and the camp that starts on Feb. 1 will select players for the Algarve Cup in Portugal (March 5-12) and the CONCACAF Olympic Women’s Qualifying Tournament in Juarez, Mexico (April 2-13).
Women’s Volleyball:
>> All-American setter Nellie Spicer (pictured) joined former Bruin senior outside hitter Rachell Johnson with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs, Colo., earning an invitation from USA Volleyball. She will report Feb. 18 and is in the pool of players who could participate in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> No. 1-ranked UCLA beat Colorado State, 15-2 and Indiana, 15-6, on Sunday to finish the Michigan Invitational undefeated at 4-0. Junior forward Katie Rulon scored 12 goals over the weekend’s play to earn Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week honors with San Jose State goalie Kendra Adama. The Spartans were also 4-0 on the weekend.
Nellie Spicer photo courtesy UCLA.
 Oh, those basketball Bruins! A great weekend so far, with more to come:
Football:
>> Last week: Rick Neuheisel was announced as the new UCLA head coach in a lively event at the Morgan Center on campus. By week’s end, he had reached agreements with defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, defensive line coach Todd Howard and linebackers coach Chuck Bullough to stay at UCLA. And former Bruin wide receiver Reggie Moore agreed to join the football staff as well; he’s been the wide receivers coach at North Dakota State.
>> This week: Who knows what surprises Neuheisel has up his sleeve? Still to be named is the offensive staff, although Neuheisel has said he will take his time.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: No. 5 UCLA started Pac-10 play with a sweep of the Bay Area schools, winning at Stanford, 76-67, on Thursday and at Cal, 70-58 yesterday. The Bruins held the Cardinal to 42.9% shooting and Cal to just 36.2% from the field. Sophomore guard Russell Westbrook had an unforgettable slam against the Bears, taking off from the middle of the key and thundering the ball through the hoop with his right hand.
>> This week: The Bruins are home to the Washington schools, with Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies (9-5, 0-1) in on Thursday and No. 4 (13-0, 1-0) Washington State in on Saturday.
>> Of note I: After just one weekend of Pac-10 play, there are only three schools without a loss: UCLA, WSU and surprising Arizona State. The Arizonas will play each other Wednesday night and the Bay Area schools will be in Oregon this coming week.
>> Of note II: The Stanford crowd didn’t have a lot to cheer about as the Bruins beat the Cardinal on Thursday, but in the closing moments of Stanford’s 52-46 win over USC on Saturday, the student section yelled themselves hoarse with the chant, "Just Like Football."
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: The Bruins opened the season ranked no. 3 in the nation and beat Ball State in the opener of the Outrigger Tournament in Honolulu. However, things got rough in the second match against no. 4 Penn State and the Bruins were swept, 3-0. UCLA, despite 30 service errors, defeated Hawaii in five games in the finale to end the tournament with a 2-1 record.
>> This week: UCLA opens its 2008 home and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation schedule against Stanford on Friday at 7 p.m. and Pacific on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches will be in Pauley Pavilion.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins stunned no. 2 Stanford, 69-56, on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion to even their seasonal record to 7-7 and 2-1 in the Pac-10. Freshman guard Nina Earl scored 20 points and senior forward Lindsey Pluimer added 12.
>> This week: UCLA plays no. 10 California today at 12:30 p.m. at Pauley, with the game televised on Fox Sports Net. The Bruins head to Seattle for a game on Thursday against Washington and then to Pullman for a Saturday date against the Cougars.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: The no. 4 Bruin women scored an impressive 194.975 to win the Lady Luck Invitational in Las Vegas, defeating Oregon State (193.875) and Arizona State (192.475). Sophomore Anna Li won the all-around (39.45), beam (9.825), uneven bars (9.90) and floor exercise (9.875).
>> This week: The Bruins have their annual "Meet the Bruins" exhibition in the John Wooden Center this coming Sunday (Jan. 13) at 2 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: Junior All-American setter Nellie Spicer was invited to the U.S. National Team try-outs in Colorado Springs, Colorado to be held from January 7-12. Teammate Rachell Johnson and former Bruin All-American Nana Meriwether were also among the 14 players invited.
Russell Westbrook photo courtesy UCLA.
 It’s pretty quiet in Westwood these days with finals over and the university about to shut down for a holiday break. But some of the folks in and around the Morgan Center are still busy, plus the no. 1-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team will play the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday.
Baseball:
>> Last week: Shortstop Brandon Crawford was named as a pre-season, third-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association. The Bruins start collegiate play on February 22.
Football:
>> Last week: UCLA began practice for its Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl date with BYU with DeWayne Walker serving as interim head coach. Ben Olson was named as the starting quarterback for the Bruins, as he was for UCLA's 27-17 win in September over the Cougars. The coaching search ground on as interviews were scheduled or completed with Walker, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel and Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh.
>> This week: The Bruins will complete their 2007 season with a rematch with BYU in Las Vegas on Saturday, December 22 at 5 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.
>> Of note: CollegeFootballNews.com named its All-American teams during the week and Matthew Slater made the second team as a kick returner and safety Chris Horton made the third team.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA dispatched Idaho State by a 89-49 score and now stands at 9-1. The victory was no. 100 for Ben Howland as UCLA head coach in his fifth season, against 42 losses. Junior guard Darren Collison equaled his career high with 20 points.
>> This week: The Bruins will play Western Illinois on Tuesday, then heads to Ann Arbor for a match-up with Michigan on Saturday morning (11 a.m. Pacific time), to be nationally televised on CBS.
Men’s Soccer:
>> Last week: Senior defender Mike Zaher (pictured) was selected as third-team All-Far West Region by the National Soccer Coaches of America for the second consecutive season. Zaher and senior defender Brandon Owens were two of 54 senior players from 33 schools invited to the 2008 MLS Player Combine in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from January 11-15.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA lost its fifth game in its last six, falling on the road at BYU, 68-58. Senior forward Lindsey Pluimer and freshman forward Nina Earl each had 13 and Pluimer had eight rebounds to lead the Bruins (4-5).
>> This week: Here comes defending national champion and no. 1-ranked Tennessee into Pauley Pavilion for a match with the Bruins on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for reserved seats and $8 for general admission. The Bruins are 1-15 against Tennessee, have lost 12 in a row since a 1981 road win against the Vols and are 0-7 at Pauley Pavilion. On Friday, the Bruins will be in Pauley Pavilion again against UC Riverside.
Women’s Soccer:
>> Last week: Sophomore striker Lauren Cheney was named as one of three finalists for the Herrmann Trophy, presented by the Missouri Athletic Club, along with Ashlee Pistorius of Texas A&M and Mami Yamaguchi of Miami. The winner will be announced on January 11. Cheney set UCLA single-season scoring records with 57 points and 23 goals and ranked second in the nation in points per game and third in goals per game.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: Senior Nicolette Teo, competing for Singapore, won three gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games held in Korat, Thailand. She won the 100 m Breaststroke (national record), 200 m Breaststroke and swam a leg on the 4 x 100 m Medley Relay. Her breaststroke marks met the Olympic "B" qualifying standard, making it likely she will be named to her third Singapore Olympic team for Beijing next August. She previously swam in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).
Women’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: Junior setter Nellie Spicer was honored as a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She became only the sixth Bruin to be named as an All-American twice.
>> Of note: Penn State’s win over Stanford in the women’s volleyball final on Saturday was a relief to Bruin fans. The Cardinal was gunning for its 96th NCAA team championship, uncomfortably close to UCLA’s total of 100. Stanford won the women’s cross country title in the fall for its 95th team title.
UCLA missed a chance for a 101st title in women’s soccer, losing in the national semifinals, but figures to be in the mix in baseball, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, softball, men’s volleyball and women’s water polo.
Mike Zaher photo courtesy of UCLA
 UCLA junior setter Nellie Spicer today was named an American Volleyball Coaches Assn. (AVCA) first-team All-American for the second consecutive year.
Spicer becomes only the sixth Bruin to earn first-team All-American honors twice, joining Annett Buckner (1993-94), Liz Masakayan (1984-85), Daiva Tomkus (1987-89), Natalie Williams (1990-92) and Elaine Youngs (1991-92). Only two players, Tomkus and Williams, have earned three, first-team All-American awards.
Spicer was a key to UCLA’s defensive prowess, with 50 or more assists in 14 matches, but hurt her hand in midseason during a practice drill.The Bruins then slumped in Pac-10 play, finishing fifth with a 9-9 mark. But with her health back for the NCAA Tournament, UCLA ran off three easy wins against Alabama A&M, Clemson and Oregon to reach the regional finals against No. 1-ranked Stanford. The Bruins played well in that match, but lost to the Cardinal in four sets.
Spicer will receive her All-American award Friday at the AVCA banquet in Sacramento, site of this year's women's volleyball Final Four.
 Two Bruin women’s teams concluded very successful seasons this weekend short of their goal: an NCAA Championship, losing both times to Pac-10 opponents.
Baseball:
>> Last week: Head Coach John Savage had his contract extended by two years to 2012, with additional bonus opportunities added for getting the Bruins to the College World Series.
>> Of note: Sophomore outfielder Gabe Cohen (.345, 10 HR, 36 RBI) was listed on the pre-season Wallace Watch List. The Brook Wallace award is given annually to the nation’s best collegiate baseball player.
Football:
>> Last week: Karl Dorrell was dismissed as head coach Monday and defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker was named interim head coach.
>> This week: The Bruins have begun practice for the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl against BYU on Dec. 22. A search firm to assist with the coaching search should be finalized and interviews should begin soon.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The seventh-ranked Bruins (8-1) got all 11 scholarship players back into practice and UCLA came back from an 18-point, first-half deficit to defeat Davidson, 75-63 in the Wooden Classic in Anaheim.
>> This week: The team has most of the week off for finals and will resume play Saturday at Pauley Pavilion against Idaho State.
>> Of note: A limited number of upper-level tickets for conference games will go on sale Monday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. Check Ticketmaster.com for more details.
Men’s Soccer:
>> Last week: Four UCLA players received Pac-10 All-Academic honors: Senior defender Mike Zaher (3.44 in Political Science) earned first-team honors, sophomore midfielder/defender Chance Myers (3.33 in History) was selected to the second team, and senior defender Greg Folk and sophomore midfielder/defender Danny Suits received honorable mentions.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins dropped to 4-4 with their fourth loss in five games, this time to San Diego, 63-57 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the USD campus. Freshman Nina Earl led UCLA with 12 points, but the Bruins could not overcome 33.3% shooting and a 34-26 deficit in the first half.
>> This week: UCLA heads to Provo, Utah, to play BYU on Saturday at 3 p.m. Pacific time.
Women’s Soccer:
>> Last week: UCLA advanced to its fifth College Cup in a row, but came away empty again, losing in the national semifinals to eventual national champion USC, 2-1. The Bruins had a 1-0 lead at halftime on a spin-and-shoot goal from Lauren Cheney, but Amy Rodriguez scored twice for USC in the second half and the Bruins had no answer. UCLA, ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the season, finished with a 20-2-2 record and lost to USC for the first time since 1998.
Women’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: The Bruins (23-10) advanced to the regional final at Stanford, defeating Oregon in four sets Friday, but losing to No. 1-seeded Stanford (31-2) in four sets Saturday. UCLA won the first game, 30-28, but lost three close games by scores of 28-30, 26-30 and 27-30 to fall short of the Final Four. Junior Kaitlin Sather had a career-high 23 kills in the Stanford match, and junior setter Nellie Spicer (pictured) was sensational with 59 assists.
>> Of note: UCLA will return five of its six starters from this season, including Sather, Spicer, junior hitter Ali Daley and freshmen Katie Mills and Dicey McGraw. Spicer was named to the All-Pacific Region first team for the third season in a row and six Bruins were named to the Pac-10's All-Academic team: senior Meghan Schoen and junior Sather and Jade Machado made the first team with senior Rachell Johnson and juniors Jessica Fine and Elise Carstensen on the second team.
Nellie Spicer photo courtesy UCLA.
 UCLA’s No. 1-ranked women’s soccer team is in the NCAA’s "final four" at the College Cup in College Station, Texas, facing USC in the national semifinals. And that’s only one of the highlights of an intense weekend coming up for the Bruins:
Football:
>> Interim Coach DeWayne Walker on Saturday will lead his first practice since Karl Dorrell was dismissed, as UCLA begins its preparations to face BYU on Dec. 22 in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. Practices are closed to the public.
Men’s basketball:
>> Although the Bruins lost their last game to Texas at Pauley Pavilion, their health is improving dramatically with the return of guard Michael Roll and forward James Keefe to practice this week. UCLA (7-1) will take on Davidson of the Southern Conference at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wooden Classic in Anaheim.
Women’s basketball:
>> The Bruins are 4-3 and head to the University of San Diego to face the Toreros (4-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will be videocast on usdtoreros.com and audiocast on uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus on the microphone.
Women’s soccer:
>> The Bruins, led by senior goalkeeper Valerie Henderson (pictured), have a chance to collect NCAA team title No. 101 this weekend at the College Cup in College Station. UCLA (20-1-2) will play USC (18-3-2) in the national semifinals; the Bruins defeated the Trojans, 2-0, earlier this season. The game will be televised on ESPNU beginning at 4 p.m. (Pacific time; 6 p.m., Central) Friday. Florida State (17-5-3) will face Notre Dame (19-4-2) in the first semifinal two hours earlier. The national championship game will be held at 11 a.m. (Pacific time; 1 p.m., Central) Sunday, also on ESPNU.
Women’s volleyball:
>> UCLA has reached the round of 16 and faces some familiar foes in the Stanford regional. Seeded No. 8 nationally, UCLA (22-10) will face Oregon (22-10) at 7 p.m. Friday at Maples Pavilion. The Bruins split with the Ducks this season, winning in four sets at home, but getting swept in Eugene. The match will be televised live on ESPNU. If the Bruins should win and advance to the regional finals, they probably will meet No. 1-seeded Stanford (29-2). The Cardinal is matched against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (23-7) on Friday, and crushed UCLA twice during the regular season.
Valerie Henderson photo courtesy of UCLA
 We didn't get to the Sunday Syllabus yesterday, thanks to some overtime work on football and basketball, but here's a quick recap. Banner time: UCLA is in position to win its 101st NCAA team title this weekend, but USC stands in the way again.
Football:
>> Last Week: The Bruins lost as expected, 24-7, to USC at the Coliseum to finish the regular season at 6-6 and 5-4 in the Pac-10, tied for fourth place with Oregon. Of special note was the play of senior safety Dennis Keyes, who had 19 tackles and finished the year with 106.
>> This Week: UCLA was selected to play in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl in a rematch with 10-2 BYU, which was defeated by UCLA, 27-17, in the second week of the season at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins could have ended up in the Sun Bowl, but Arizona State was not selected for a BCS game.
>> Of Note: Head Coach Karl Dorrell, whose UCLA teams lost six or more games in four of his five seasons, is expected to be dismissed this week.
Men's Basketball:
>> Last Week: UCLA defeated George Washington, 83-60, last Wednesday, but fell to No. 8 Texas, 63-61, in a seesaw battle Sunday in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are 7-1 on the season.
>> This Week: UCLA's schedule eases up a bit, with the Wooden Classic match against Davidson in Anaheim on Saturday this week's only game.
Women's Basketball:
>> Last Week: UCLA (4-3) continued its letdown after losing to Maryland a week ago by dropping games to Pepperdine (91-79) last Wednesday and Idaho State (76-64) on Saturday. But the Bruins rebounded with a win Sunday in their second game at the Nugget Classic in Reno by beating Southern, 79-52. As usual, senior Lindsey Pluimer led the way, with 19 points and eight rebounds.
>> This Week: UCLA has one game this week, on the road at the University of San Diego on Saturday.
Women's Soccer:
>> Last Week: The No. 1-ranked Bruins won their regional and are on to their fifth straight College Cup, but it wasn't easy. Lauren Cheney scored an overtime goal against Virginia Nov. 23 to ease UCLA past Virginia, 2-1, and then the Bruins needed another overtime goal from Danesha Adams to defeat Portland, 3-2, at Drake Stadium on Friday night.
>> This Week: UCLA is 20-1-2, hasn't lost a match since the first week of the season and now enters the national semifinals in College Station, Texas, to play cross-town rival USC! The match will take place at 4 p.m. Pacific time Friday, preceded by Florida State-Notre Dame on the other national semifinal at 2 p.m. In their only meeting this year, the Bruins defeated USC, 2-0, with two second-half goals from Cheney and Kara Lang on Oct. 26. UCLA has won eight straight against USC and is unbeaten in 11 matches against the Trojans.
Women's Volleyball:
>> Last week: The Bruins (22-10) traveled to Clemson, S.C., last weekend and crushed Alabama A&M in straight sets in the first round of NCAA Tournament play, then cruised past host Clemson in four sets to reach the round of 16.
>> This Week: The Bruins will face much stiffer competition this week against familiar foes. The Bruins will travel to Stanford to be matched up with Oregon (22-10) next; the Bruins split two matches with the Ducks this season, winning at home and being swept on the road. The match will make place at 7 p.m. Friday. If the Bruins should win, they would undoubtedly play Stanford (29-2) in the regional finals; the Cardinal easily defeated UCLA twice earlier this season.
Lauren Cheney photo courtesy UCLA.
 A hot soccer match on a cold night at Drake Stadium sent UCLA to the College Cup — the NCAA’s Final Four — with its No. 1 ranking intact with a 3-2 double-overtime win Friday night over Portland. A few hours earlier, the No. 8-seeded Bruin volleyball team finished a rout of Alabama A&M in its opening match at the NCAA Tournament in Clemson, S.C.
>> For the UCLA women’s soccer team, victory came only after 104 minutes of play as senior midfielder Danesha Adams (pictured) scored her second goal of the night with an assist from Lauren Barnes. The Bruins trailed, 1-0, at halftime as Portland, ranked second in the region, was the aggressor with six shots to UCLA’s four. But the Bruin attack came alive in the second half, with eight shots and goals in the 51st minute from Adams for a tie and then in the 72nd minute when striker Kara Lang headed in a cross from midfielder Christina DiMartino.
UCLA’s 2-1 lead looked like it might hold up, but Portland’s Angie Woznuk scored in the 89th minute to force overtime. Neither team scored in the first overtime period, even though UCLA piled up six shots to Portland’s one. But 3:58 into the second overtime, Barnes sent a corner kick toward the Portland goal and Adams headed it into the net for the winner.
The Bruins are now 20-1-2 while Portland ends its season at 18-4-0. Incredibly, UCLA will travel all the way to College Station, Texas, for the national semifinals next Friday . . . to face cross-town rival USC (18-3-2) for the right to play for the national title. In their only meeting of the year at Drake Stadium, the Bruins defeated USC, 2-0, on Oct. 26. Notre Dame and Florida State will play in the other semifinal.
>> The Bruin women’s volleyball team simply overwhelmed Alabama A&M, 30-9, 30-13 and 30-14 to move into the NCAA second round Saturday against host Clemson.
The match was so one-sided that Coach Andy Banachowski rested most of his regulars in the third game and UCLA set a school record for the fewest points given up in a match with 36. That was seven points fewer than the old mark of 43, achieved only twice since the switch to rally scoring (point per serve) in 2001. Alabama A&M ended the season with a record of 15-10.
The Bruins hit an almost unheard of .420 for the match. Kaitlin Sather had a team-high 11 kills and junior All-American setter Nellie Spicer had 25 assists in two games.
Sather said afterward, "It's so fun when everyone gets to play. We all train the same amount of hours. It's not as if everybody gets time off whether you're playing or not. Everyone played hard." She didn’t seem too concerned about playing against host Clemson on the road, either, noting, "I've been to Nebraska a few times, so I think we're ready. I'm not necessarily worried about the crowd because of our past experience dealing with large crowds. It's a small gym, which is different from Pauley Pavilion. But the Pac-10 is the best preparation you can have. Going into the tournament, we are really prepared for strong teams."
Danesha Adams photo courtesy of UCLA
 The Bruins and Trojans will get it on Saturday at the Coliseum to decide bragging rights, possibly the Rose Bowl representative, the Pac-10 Conference champion and maybe the future of both head coaches. And that’s just for starters:
Football:
>> Bruin senior center Chris Joseph repeated as a first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Joseph has a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average with a major in geography.
>> The highlight of Blue and Gold Week is the annual rally and bonfire that will take place tonight at UCLA’s Wilson Plaza from 8 to 10. The parade will start from the UCLA residential zone about 7 p.m. and land at the end of Westwood Boulevard about an hour later.
>> The annual "Blood Bowl" between the UCLA Daily Bruin and the USC Daily Trojan will be held Friday afternoon at McAlister Field on the USC campus, beginning about 4:30 p.m. The Daily Trojan has dominated the football series against the Daily Bruin, winning eight in a row. On the other hand, the Daily Bruin has been recognized as the best college newspaper in the western states for the last four years and was national collegiate newspaper of the year in 2006. Take your pick.
>> The final meeting of the Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club will be held at 7 a.m. Friday at the Olympic Collection at Olympic and Sawtelle boulevards in West Los Angeles. Featured speakers will include defensive line coach Todd Howard, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Scott and six players: place-kicker Kai Forbath, defensive end Kenneth Lombard, cornerback Rodney Van, guard P.J. Irvin, receiver Terrence Austin and safety Brett Lockett. Naturally, "every man, woman and child" (Geoff Strand) will be the master of ceremonies, accompanied by the UCLA Spirit Squad. Tickets, which include breakfast, are $24 each; for more information, call Claudia Hart at (310) 348-UCLA or send an e-mail to Claudia4UCLA@yahoo.com.
Men’s basketball:
>> The Bruins (7-0) are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation, depending on which poll you prefer, and got star guard Darren Collison back Wednesday night in an 83-60 win over George Washington. UCLA will take on fifth-ranked Texas at 5 p.m. Sunday in a nationally televised game that is part of the Big 12-Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
Men’s soccer:
>> A disappointing season came to an end Wednesday night as the Bruins lost, 3-1, at Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA finished 9-9-3 after being ranked No. 1 in the nation in preseason polls.
Women’s basketball:
>> After a difficult loss Sunday at Pauley Pavilion to third-ranked Maryland, 79-75, UCLA suffered a bad loss to unranked Pepperdine on the road Wednesday night, 91-79. Junior guard Tierra Henderson and senior forward Lindsey Pluimer each had 15 points to lead UCLA (3-2) and freshman center Regina Rogers had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
>> UCLA now heads to Reno, where it will play in the Nugget Classic, first against Idaho State on Saturday and then against the winner of Nevada and Southern on Sunday.
Women’s soccer:
>> No. 1-ranked UCLA (19-1-2) will face the No. 2 seed in the West, Portland (18-3-0), for a spot in the College Cup (soccer’s Final Four) at 7 p.m. Friday at Drake Stadium. There’s no Southern California telecast of the game, but live audio of the match can be heard on uclabruins.com.
>> Three Bruins — sophomore forward Lauren Cheney, senior midfielder Danesha Adams and junior midfielder Christina DiMartino (pictured) — have been named as semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Award, given annually to the top collegiate soccer player. They are on a list of 15 players that will be paired with four finalists Dec. 14. The winner will be announced Jan. 11.
Women’s volleyball:
>> UCLA (20-10) is the national No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and begins play in Clemson, S.C., against Alabama A&M (15-9) on Friday. If the Bruins win, they will play the winner of the Alabama (15-14)-Clemson (28-3) match on Saturday. Live audio of each game will be available with Darren Preston on the microphone at uclabruins.com.
>> Junior setter Nellie Spicer was named Monday to the Pac-10 Conference first team for the third year in a row. Senior Rachell Johnson and juniors Ali Daley and Kaitlin Sather earned honorable mention and Dicey McGraw and Katie Mills received honorable mention on the All-Freshman squad. Johnson also was invited to the U.S. National Team tryouts in January at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Christina DiMartino photo courtesy of UCLA
 The 6-5 UCLA football team is somehow still in the race for the Rose Bowl going into this week’s game with USC after shutting out Oregon, 16-0. But there were plenty of other highlights during a busy week in UCLA sports:
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The 6-0 Bruins won two amazing games against Maryland and Michigan State to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City last Monday and Tuesday and then eased past Yale, 81-47, on Friday at Pauley Pavilion. More worrisome were an eye injury to forward Alfred Aboya (status unknown) and an ankle injury to center Kevin Love, who appeared to be fine by the end of the game.
>> This week: The Bruins will host two quality teams, George Washington (2-1) and no. 15 Texas (5-0), which just demolished seventh-ranked Tennessee, 97-78, on Saturday. UCLA hosts GWU on Wednesday, November 28 and Texas next Sunday, December 2 as part of the Big 12-Pac-10 Challenge.
Men’s Soccer:
>> Last week: UCLA defeated New Mexico, 1-0, on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, played at Drake Stadium. Sophomore midfielder Kyle Nakazawa (pictured) scored on a free kick with 1:39 to play in regulation time to give UCLA (9-8-3) the win.
>> This week: The Bruins will take on seventh-seed Santa Clara (15-1-4) on the road in the second round of the tournament. The Broncos and Bruins met this season back on September 22, with Santa Clara winning, 2-1, in overtime. Both Bronco goals came with UCLA a man down.
Men’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: UCLA needed to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament, but finished fifth instead. The Bruins, ranked no. 4 in the nation going into the MPSF, lost their first-round match with fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 10-9, in overtime. They rebounded to beat Long Beach State, 13-9 and UC Santa Barbara, 15-8 and finish the season at 21-7. Sophomore Scott Davidson finished the season with 49 goals to lead the team.
Women’s Soccer:
>> Last week: The no. 1-ranked Bruins (19-1-2) just edged past Virginia, 2-1, in overtime at Drake Stadium Friday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. After Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute, Kristina Larsen scored in the 83rd minute to tie it and Lauren Cheney won it in the 98th minute with her ninth game-winning goal of the season.
>> This week: The Bruins will host Portland (18-3-0) at Drake Stadium on Friday, November 30 at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s national quarterfinal for the right to go to the College Cup on December 7. Earlier this season, UCLA defeated Portland, 2-1, in overtime at home on September 28.
Women’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: No. 10-ranked UCLA finished its regular-season schedule with a split in Arizona, defeating Arizona State in four sets on Friday night, but falling to Arizona on Saturday in four sets. The Bruins finished the season with a 20-10 mark, but just 9-9 in Pac-10 play, good for sixth.
>> This week: The Bruins received the national no. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play their first-round game against Alabama A&M (15-9) on Friday, November 30 in Clemson, South Carolina. If UCLA should win, the Bruins will play the winner between Alabama (15-14) and host Clemson (28-3).
Kyle Nazakawa photo courtesy UCLA.
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