Gu Men’s Soccer Team Ranked No. 20 Nationally

The Gonzaga University men’s soccer team has its first national ranking, earning 20th this week in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Umbro Top 25 poll.

The Bulldogs, 12-3-0 and riding a four-match win streak, are the only West Coast Conference team in the Top 25. The Zags, hoping for an NCAA Tournament bid, have three games remaining. Friday at noon they entertain No. 7 Washington.

“It’s nice to have the ranking, but it’s not something we’re going to spend a lot of time talking about,” coach Einar Thorarinsson said. “We know what we have to do to get where we want to be.”

GSL soccer

Central Valley and Gonzaga Prep will break a fifth-place tie today in a Greater Spokane League girls playoff at Mead High School at 3 p.m.

The teams tied with 12 points, both posting 4-4 league records. CV won the regular-season meeting. The winner is at GSL runner-up University in one loser-out game Thursday at 3 p.m. No. 4 Lewis and Clark is at No. 3 Ferris, also at 3.

Thursday’s winners meet Monday, winner to state. League champion Mead has clinched a state berth.

Indians baseball

Jeff Garber is returning as manager of the Spokane Indians.

The Northwest League team and the parent Kansas City Royals announced Monday that Garber will be back for his second season.

Garber, 31, led the Indians to a 45-31 record and second place behind Boise in the NWL’s North Division. It was Spokane’s best record since its last championship season of 1990.

It will be Garber’s third year in Spokane. In 1996, he was a coach.

Prep volleyball

Liberty (5-5) earned the sixth and final Bi-County Tournament spot with a 15-4, 15-3 win over Christian Heritage (1-9) on Monday.

The tourney will begin Thursday at Ritzville. Odessa plays Reardan at 3 p.m. and Wilbur-Creston takes on Liberty at 4:30. Ritzville and Davenport have byes into district play.

Basketball

The Spokane Regional AAU Club is going back on its own.

After more than a year of working under an agreement in which the Spokane Hoopfest Association administered the AAU program, the organizations announced they were terminating their relationship.

“AAU is pleased with the job Hoopfest has done in preparing us to independently operate our program,” Ron Benzel, president of the Spokane Regional AAU board of directors, said in a release.

“Our intent was to help solidify their structure,” said Hoopfest executive director Rick Steltenpohl. “Hoopfest accomplished its goal.”

The AAU club has set up temporary offices at 14109 E. Sprague. It’s telephone number (838-3440) and mailing address (P.O. Box 598, Spokane 99210) remain the same.

, DataTimes