Week in Sports
TOP SPORTING EVENTS: JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 7
“Play ball” means a lot of things at UCSB this weekend – volleyball, basketball, baseball and water polo.
The UCSB Winter Invite women’s water polo tournament features nine teams playing 18 games over the next three days. The host Gauchos, who got off to a 3-0 start on a road trip north last week, will play the first of their six games against seventh-ranked Michigan on Friday morning at the Campus Pool. UCSB, ranked No. 12, also will face No. 11 San Diego State on Saturday and No. 10 UC Irvine on Sunday.
The Gaucho men’s volleyball team will take on Pepperdine at Robertson Gym on Friday night.
Saturday’s water polo games will take place at the Recreation Center Pool, because the UCSB swimming and diving teams will hold their final home meet in the Campus Pool. The Gaucho men will compete against Pacific, while the women will go against both Pacific and UC Davis. UCSB’s first-year breaststroker Sophia Yamauchi is the reigning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation swimmer of the week.
UCSB will showcase many of its outstanding baseball alumni on Saturday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The public is invited to the Fan Fest, starting at 10 a.m. It will include a home run derby and a scrimmage by the 2011 Gaucho team. Fans can seek autographs from the alumni, who are expected to include Skip Schumaker (St. Louis Cardinals), Ryan Spilborghs (Colorado Rockies) and Chris Valaika (Cincinnati Reds) along with minor leaguers Virgil Vasquez (Los Angeles Angels), Justin Lehr (Cincinnati Reds), Joe Gardner (Cleveland Indians) Andy Graham (Colorado Rockies) and Chuck Huggins, among others.
The Gaucho men’s basketball team, buoyed by its last-second victory at Cal Poly on Thursday night, will return to the Thunderdome for a Saturday night game against Cal State Northridge. James Nunnally’s running bank shot at the buzzer capped UCSB’s 71-70 victory in San Luis Obispo after the Mustangs went ahead on a three-point shot with just 5.8 seconds remaining. Gaucho point guard Justin Joyner weaved across the court and fed Nunnally for the game winner.
UCSB’s women were not so fortunate. Kelsey Adrian’s three-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer as Big West leader Cal Poly held on to beat the Gauchos, 54-51. They will travel to Northridge on Saturday.
SBCC’s basketball teams will be playing at home Saturday. The Vaquero men, who went 3-3 in the first round of Western State Conference play, will face Moorpark at 5 p.m., and the women (4-2) will take the floor at 7 p.m. against the Raiders.
Friday, January 28
College women’s water polo – Michigan at UCSB, 11 a.m.; Concordia (Calif.) at UCSB, 3:30 p.m.
College men’s volleyball – Pepperdine at UCSB, Robertson Gym, 7 p.m.
High school boys basketball – San Marcos at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.; Malibu at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 29
College baseball – UCSB Fan Fest at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 10 a.m.; Bethany (Kan.) at Westmont (2), 10 a.m.
College swimming – Pacific and UC Davis at UCSB, 11 a.m.
College women’s water polo – Cal State Bakersfield at UCSB, 12 p.m.; San Diego State at UCSB, 4:40 p.m.
College women’s basketball – UCSB at Cal State Northridge, 4 p.m.; Westmont at Point Loma Nazarene, 5:30 p.m.; Moorpark at SBCC, 7 p.m.
College men’s basketball – Moorpark at SBCC, 5 p.m.; Cal State Northridge at UCSB, 7 p.m.; Westmont at Point Loma Nazarene, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 30
College women’s tennis – Northern Arizona at UCSB, 10 a.m.
College women’s water polo – UC San Diego at UCSB, 11:30 a.m.; UC Irvine at UCSB, 3:10 p.m.
Monday, January 31
Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Café, 12 p.m.
High school girls basketball – Providence Hall at Laguna Blanca, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 1
High school girls water polo – Santa Barbara at San Marcos, 3:15 p.m.
High school boys soccer – Santa Barbara at Dos Pueblos, 5 p.m.
High school girls soccer – Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara, 5 p.m.; Buena at San Marcos, 5 p.m.
High school girls basketball – Dunn at Laguna Blanca, 4 p.m.; Thacher at Cate, 4:30 p.m.; Santa Barbara at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Malibu at Carpinteria, 7 p.m.; Santa Clara at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 2
High school girls water polo – Cate at Carpinteria, 3:15 p.m.
High school boys basketball – San Marcos at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.; Ventura at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.; Santa Paula at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 3
College baseball – La Sierra at Westmont, 2 p.m.
High school boys soccer – Buena at Dos Pueblos, 5 p.m.
High school girls basketball – Santa Barbara at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.
High school wrestling – Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
College men’s basketball – California Baptist at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.; Pacific at UCSB, 8:30 p.m.
College women’s basketball – California Baptist at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.; UCSB at Pacific, 7 p.m.
Friday, February 4
College baseball – Cabrillo at SBCC, Pershing Park, 2 p.m.
High school girls basketball – Laguna Blanca at Cate, 5 p.m.
High school boys basketball –Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.; Buena at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Carpinteria, 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 5
High school wrestling – Channel League Finals at San Marcos, 8 a.m.
College baseball – Cabrillo at SBCC (2), Pershing Park, 11 a.m.
College women’s tennis – Cal State Stanislaus at UCSB, 9 a.m.; Cal State Bakersfield at UCSB, 2 p.m.
College men’s tennis – San Diego at UCSB, 1 p.m.
High school boys basketball – Cornerstone Christian at Laguna Blanca, 12 p.m.; Besant Hill at Cate, 3:30 p.m.
High school girls basketball – Fillmore at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.
College men’s basketball – UC Davis at UCSB, 7:30 p.m.; Westmont at Hope International, 7:30 p.m.
College women’s basketball – UCSB at UC Davis, 2 p.m. Westmont at Hope International, 5:30 p.m.
Monday, February 7
Women and Girls in Sports Luncheon, Earl Warren Showgrounds, 11:30 a.m.
High school girls water polo – Malibu at Carpinteria, 3:15 p.m.
SPECIAL EVENT
Friday, January 28 – “A Night with an Angel,” dinner featuring L.A. Angels manager Mike Scioscia, Cabrillo Arts Center, 6 p.m. Benefit the UCSB Gaucho Fund to improve Caesar Uyesaka Stadium for the Gauchos and Santa Barbara Foresters. Reservations: Christina Beglas, 805-893-5372.
FOR RUNNERS
Saturday, January 29 – Romeo’s 4 Miler, UCSB Lagoon, 9 a.m. ucsbruns.com.
Sunday, February 6 – Super Bowl 4 Miler, Stow Grove Park, 9 a.m. sbactionpro.com.
Sunday, February 27 – Independent Roses en la Playa 5K, Leadbetter Beach, 9 a.m. sbactionpro.com.
