San Luis Obispo

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The feel-good story has come to an end. The underdog did not have its day. The game might have been lost, but in the process a legacy was born. Going where no team in the history of Glendale High girls' athletics has gone, the Nitros' water polo team gracefully bowed out of the playoffs on Friday. But a 12-6 loss in the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals to second-seeded Arroyo Grande proved to be a huge win in the grand scheme of all things Glendale.

Local playoff teams to hit the road Friday The Glendale High girls' water polo and the Renaissance Academy boys' basketball teams will continue their respective playoff runs with road matches Friday. Glendale will meet second-seeded Arroyo Grande in a CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinal match at 4:15 p.m. at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. Renaissance Academy will take on Perris in a Division III-A semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. at Paloma Valley High. The Wildcats appeared in the Division VA championship game the past two seasons.

Sculptor Judeth Davis has settled into her new studio space in Glendale and is hoping to entice a group of artists to show their works in upcoming exhibits. "I want to have a place to show artists' work and where artists can meet and collaborate on getting our art to be seen by the buying public," she said. Davis is looking for painters, who work in oils, watercolor and acrylics, sculptors, photographers and engravers, she said. "Some people have much more representation than others, so I would like to work hard at gaining representation for these artists on the L.A. art scene," she said.

GLENDALE ? The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Ramses Barden (Flintridge Prep, 2004) sophomore receiver, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football: The Mustangs concluded their season Saturday with a 55-0 non-conference home victory against Savannah State University. However, Barden didn't figure in the offense. Cal Poly finished 7-4 this season and has posted four consecutive winning seasons. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak.

They weren't necessarily among the elite runners when they competed for their respective high school cross-country programs. Liliana Hernandez and Ana Rodriguez wouldn't necessarily dispute that, though they ran well when they competed on the Hoover and Glendale high girls' cross-country teams, respectively. Hernandez and Rodriguez crossed paths ? and then ran on them ? during Pacific League meets at Verdugo Park or Crescenta Valley Park during the early days of autumn. Neither won individual league championships before graduating in 2005.

On a number of levels, the story of how 2004 Flintridge Prep graduate Ramses Barden wound up starring for the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo football team is one of faith. By offering the 6-foot-7, 210-pound wide receiver a scholarship, Cal Poly head coach Rich Ellerson took a leap of faith. And by accepting that offer, Barden took a considerable step of faith as well. For Ellerson, recruiting Barden demanded faith in Barden's potential. Like everyone else, he could see that Barden possessed a potent combination of size and athleticism.

Library holding free mini-opera Monday The La Cañada Flintridge Library will host a free mini-opera at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The concert is co-sponsored by the county of Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles Opera. The featured artists are Renee Sousa, soprano; Peter Nathan Foltz, tenor; and Paul Floyd, piano. Renee Sousa recently appeared as a Noble Orphan in "Der Rosenkavalier," as Kate Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly" with the Los Angeles Opera, and as Marguerite in "Faust" with the Pacific Repertory Opera in San Luis Obispo.

LC volleyballVolleyball: La Cañada girls swept aside by San Luis Obispo in CIF Division IIIAA match.LA CA—ADA FLINTRIDGE -- A very good La Cañada High girls' volleyball team played host to a San Luis Obispo team on Saturday night that was borderline spectacular. And that summed up how the Spartans' 2005 season came to its conclusion. "They out powered us. They didn't make many mistakes. They just played good all around," said Spartan Coach Brock Turner after his team's 25-16, 25-20, 25-19 loss at La Cañada High in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division IIIAA playoffs.

LC VOLLEYBALLVolleyball: La Cañada receives strong effort from several players in four-game victory.LA CA—ADA FLINTRIDGE -- A popular cliché in sports is "There's no 'I' in team." La Cañada High girls' volleyball Coach Brock Turner stresses the value of a team over star players. It took a full team effort for La Cañada to recover from sloppy play to defeat Gabrielino, 25-17, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20, on Thursday in a CIF Southern Section Division IIIAA second-round home match.

Hamlet Nalbandyan Two days after winning its first California Interscholastic Federation championship, the La Canada High School boys' swimming team had its title taken away. School officials were informed Monday that the team had to relinquish its win because of an ineligible swimmer. Spartan Athletic Director Randy Boal called it "a clerical error," and Coach George Akopyan referred to it as "an honest mistake," one that gave San Luis Obispo the Southern Section Division II crown and bumped La Canada down to second.