Former UC Irvine All-American Jimmy Pelzel tied for the team high
with eight kills to help the United States men's volleyball team roll
to a 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 victory over Lebanon to open pool play at
the World University Games Thursday in Izmir, Turkey.
The U.S., which also includes Corona del Mar High product Kevin
Hansen, who started the third game, dispatched Lebanon in 62 minutes.
Team USA faces France in pool-play action today. Belgium, China
and Slovakia are also in the pool.
Pelzel and Hansen, the latter a first-team All-American as a
Stanford senior last season, were selected from among a group of 19
players who trained at the United States Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Colo., since July 18.
Three other pools make up the field for the men's volleyball
tournament. Pool A consists of Bulgaria, Canada, Iran, Russia,
Switzerland and Turkey, while Pool B includes defending gold medalist
Korea, Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, Italy and United Arab Emirates. Pool
C features Denmark, Hong Kong, 2003 silver medalist Japan, Mexico,
Poland, as well as Serbia and Montenegro. The tournament runs through
Aug. 21.
Peirsol opens today
* SWIMMING: Former Newport Harbor High swim standout Hayley
Peirsol, who finished third in the 800-meter freestyle at this year's
world championship trials, makes her first World University Games
appearance when competition begins today.
The top eight swimmers from today's preliminaries will advance to
tonight's final.
Peirsol, 20, a University of Auburn swimmer who won four events in
last month's Janet Evans invitational at USC (800 free, 400 free,
1,500 free and 400 individual medley), will also compete in the 1,500
freestyle, with preliminaries and finals scheduled Tuesday.
Breaker earns honor
* TENNIS: Katerina Bondarenko, who anchored women's singles and
women's doubles for the Newport Beach Breakers this season, was named
World Team Tennis' Female Rookie of the Year, league officials
announced Thursday.
Bondarenko, in her first WTT season, helped post a .541 winning
percentage in women's doubles with partners Anastassia Rodionova and,
for one match, with 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.
Bondarenko posted a .530 winning percentage in singles, the
fourth-best mark in the league.
Her feats helped the defending league champion Breakers finish 9-5
and secure a place in the WTT semifinals against Western Conference
champion Sacramento (11-3) at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at Allstate Stadium in
Citrus Heights, Calif.
