USC Advances in NCAA Volleyball

Nothing’s wrong with April Ross now.

Ross, a junior outside hitter, had 10 kills, seven digs and a career-high six blocks to lead the top-seeded USC women’s volleyball team to a 30-24, 30-20, 30-17 sweep of No. 9-seeded Pepperdine in the NCAA West regional championship match at UC Santa Barbara on Friday night.

The victory comes a year after Ross was forced to sit out the 2001 regional final because of a severely sprained right ankle suffered the previous night.

“Last year definitely haunts me, and everyone else too,” said Ross, who was named the regional’s most valuable player.

In Ross’ absence, the Trojans lost last year’s regional final match to Arizona in five games, but there wasn’t much chance of that this time as USC (29-1) advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the fifth time.

Sophomore outside hitter Alicia Robinson had five kills and Ross four in the first game, when USC hit at a .378 clip. Junior middle blocker Katie Olsovsky accounted for six of the Trojans’ first seven points in the second game, when Ross also had three kills, four digs and a block.

Robinson came on again in the third game for six of her team-high 11 kills. USC took double-digit leads in each of the last two games.

Peppedine (26-7) saw its 17-match winning streak end. Its last loss was to USC on Oct. 8.

Katie Wilkins led Peppedine with 15 kills and five digs, and Christina Hinds had 16 digs.

Despite the Waves’ best efforts, the Trojans won their 10th consecutive match and will face the winner of tonight’s East regional final between Washington State and Florida in the national semifinals Thursday in New Orleans. The championship match is Saturday.

-- Lauren Peterson

Miscellany

Bothered by a sore left knee throughout the year, Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery this week and will miss the season-opening Mercedes Championships next month in Hawaii.... Dinesh Chand and Vijay Singh shot a 10-under-par 62 to give Fiji the lead in the World Cup at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Singh and Chand are 19-under through two rounds of the two-man event.

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World of Outlaws sprint car champion Steve Kinser was named to the motor racing All-American team for the 15th time, more than any other driver in history. Kinser won his 17th championship this year.

Thirteen drivers, headed by Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart, were named in balloting by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Assn. Selections included Stewart and Mark Martin, stock cars; Sam Hornish Jr. and Cristiano da Matta, open wheel; John Force and Larry Dixon, drag racing; and Kinser and J.J. Yeley, short track.

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High school basketball star LeBron James’ first nationally televised game drew the best TV rating on ESPN2 in almost two years. ESPN2 received a 2.0 cable rating for the game, almost triple the 0.7 that sister station ESPN got for its college football awards show in the same time period, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc.

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France’s Carole Montillet won a super giant slalom at Val D’Isere, France, for her second World Cup victory this season, with two U.S. skiers finishing in the top 10. Montillet’s winning time was 1 minute 7.46 seconds. The Americans were led by Kirtsen Clark in sixth place and Caroline Lalive in 10th.

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Semifinal racing at the America’s Cup challenger series was postponed today for the second consecutive day because of high, gusting winds in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand.

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Jeremy Mylymok scored with 2:39 left to give the Idaho Steelheads a 3-2 victory over the Long Beach Ice Dogs in a WCHL game at Boise, Idaho.

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Three-time Olympic gold-medal winner Marion Jones split with longtime coach Trevor Graham because of “different opinions,” and will work with Canadian Derek Hansen.

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The Exceptional Children’s Foundation has appointed Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson to its board of directors.