Laxcats beat UCSD 21-9, clinch playoff spot

In doing so, the team clinched a spot in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League playoffs. The Laxcats will host UCLA in the WCLL Southern Division I quarterfinals this weekend.

Arizona won its last four games to finish 4-1 in the WCLL, behind Whittier College.

"Every victory is good for me," head coach Mickey-Miles Felton said. "Especially for us, a team that's been struggling to enter the playoffs on a sound fashion, whipping UC-San Diego is great."

Goals came in bunches toward the end of the first half, as UCSD scored five unanswered goals before the Laxcats scored four in the last two minutes of the half. The score was 11-6 at halftime.

Arizona finished the Tritons off in the second half with two goals and three assists by senior attackman Dan Price.

"It was good that we finally put a team away and beat them by more than 10 goals," junior defenseman Laurance Bass said. "Against UCLA, I want to get a big win and beat them by a lot to show that we can beat a good team."

If the Laxcats are successful this weekend, they will travel to San Francisco for the WCLL Final Four the following weekend.

Still, Felton said he's not letting his players look ahead.

"We're just taking it one game at a time," he said.

The starting time of their first playoff game against UCLA has not yet been determined due to scheduling difficulties resulting from the UA women's soccer team's tournament.

"They (the university) said there was a snafu in scheduling because the soccer team has the field until 6 p.m. that day and we were supposed to play at 1," Felton said. "I'd rather play UCLA during the day to utilize the heat, but we can play them Saturday night, Sunday or on our practice field. I have to wait to find out the school's determination and then I have to talk to UCLA. We should know later this week when the time will be."

Men's club volleyball team

finishes season undefeated

Once again the UA men's club volleyball team dominated its opponents, sweeping its matches against Arizona State and Air Force.

Friday night's match against ASU was the third of the season for the two teams, with UA wining all three in three sets apiece.

This time the Wildcats (24-4 overall, 22-0 club) won the first two sets 15-10, 15-5 before the No. 3-ranked Sun Devils were able to come back and win the third set 15-11.

UA head coach Steve Carlat said he was experimenting with lineups in the third game.

"I went with a different lineup and ASU really responded," he said.

Carlat switched back for the fourth game and the Wildcats easily won 15-3.

The match against Air Force was not as close.

UA was able to defeat unranked Air Force in three sets 15-2, 15-7, 15-5.

The two victories will most likely keep the Wildcats ranked No. 1 going into the national tournament this weekend. The coaches expect UA to grab a No. 1-ranking in the tournament as well.

"Being ranked No. 1 will put us in a position to do well in the tournament," Carlat said. The team flies to Maryland today for the tournament. - Joshua McClain