TOP SPORTING EVENTS: DECEMBER 1-7

Except for volleyball, the fall sports season is officially over in Santa Barbara. The Dos Pueblos High girls have one more hurdle to clear before reaching the State Division 1 volleyball championship match. The Chargers (32-2) will host Newport Harbor (34-6) on Tuesday night (Dec. 1) in the Southern California final.

[Update: The Charger girls lost to Newport Harbor Tuesday evening, one game short of the state championship game. The DP squad battled Newport Harbor for five sets in Sovine Gym, coming up short in the final game: 23-25,25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 15-10]

UCSB has earned its first bid to the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament since 2006. The Gauchos (22-7) will face St. Mary’s (22-4) in the first round Friday at Stanford. Led by player of the year Rebecca Saraceno, the Gauchos finished second in the Big West Conference. They will be making their 27th appearance in the NCAA tournament under Coach Kathy Gregory.

Dana Vargas and Stacey Schmidt also represented UCSB in the first team All-Big West selections. Should the Gauchos win the first round match, they would play the winner of the Stanford-Long Island match. Stanford is the tournament’s fourth-ranked team.

UCSB’s run in the NCAA men’s soccer championship ended Sunday evening in the third round, as sixth-seeded UCLA defeated the visiting Gauchos, 2-1. Senior forward David Walker gave UCSB an early 1-0 lead with his 10th goal of the season, but the Bruins retaliated later in the first half on a goal by Fernando Monge off a deflection, and the winning score by Ryan Hollingshead on a give-and-go from Kyle Nakazawa.

The Gauchos outshot the Bruins 11-4 in the second half but were unable to score again. They finished the year with a 17-5-2 record the program’s best since 17-7-1 in 2006, their national championship season. With most of his team set to return, Coach Tim Vom Steeg is looking forward to 2010, when the Gauchos will try to reach the College Cup (NCAA Final Four). It will be played at UCSB’s Harder Stadium.

The Gauchos are off to a fast start in men’s basketball. They are 4-0 and will host two games this week, Tuesday against Santa Clara and Saturday against San Diego State.

Tuesday, December 1

High school girls volleyball State Regional Finals: Newport Harbor at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.

College men’s basketball Santa Clara at UCSB, Thunderdome, 7 p.m.

Thursday, December 3

College women’s basketball Concordia at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.; UCSB at Portland State, 7 p.m.

College men’s basketball Concordia at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 4

College women’s volleyball NCAA tournament, first round: UCSB vs. St. Mary’s at Stanford, 5 p.m.

Saturday, December 5

Golf International Junior Golf Tour at Sandpiper Golf Club, 8 a.m.

High school girls volleyball State Division 1 Finals, UC Irvine Bren Center, 7 p.m.

College men’s basketball San Diego State at UCSB, Thunderdome, 7 p.m.; Westmont at Hope International, 7:30 p.m.

College women’s basketball Westmont at Hope International, 5:30 p.m.; UCSB at Oregon State, 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 6

Running Santa Barbara International Marathon, Ellwood School to Leadbetter Beach, 6:30 a.m. Information.

Golf International Junior Golf Tour at Sandpiper Golf Club, 8 a.m.

Monday, December 7

Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Cafe, 12 p.m.

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