Ewu Spikers Face Great Expectations

Eastern Washington’s volleyball team opens practice today with the weight of heavy expectations on its shoulders.

The Eagles, who shared the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship in 1997 and earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament last year, have been picked to finish second in the conference in 1999. In addition, the Eagles received three votes in the preseason AFCA Division I Coaches poll released this week.

Eastern lost two-time Big Sky MVP Kim Exner to graduation, but returns four starters and a total of nine returning letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 24-6 after losing to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAAs.

The Eagles open the season Sept. 3-4 at the American University Classic in Washington D.C.

Basketball

Former Moscow High and North Idaho College center Jason Keep has been denied certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse, thereby putting his future at Okalahoma State on hold.

The NCAA ruled two of Keep’s classes at Moscow High don’t count as core courses, which means he cannot play, practice or be placed on scholarship at OSU, according to Cowboys assistant athletic director Rick Allen. However, OSU has submitted a waiver asking the NCAA to review Keep’s situation.

Keep has been lifting weights and playing pick-up basketball games. If he doesn’t attend OSU, he expects to return to NIC.

Idaho recently signed Justin Logan, a 6-foot guard from Bishop O’Dowd High in Oakland, Calif. Logan joins two other high schoolers who have signed with UI, guard Lance Buoncristiana and 6-9 forward Chris Monroe.

UI has also signed junior-college transfers William Gates, 6-7 forward from Butler County (El Dorado, Kansas); Matt Gerschefske, 6-6 swingman from Southwest Missouri-West Plains; and Lennox McCoy, guard from Indian Hills (Ottumwa, Iowa).

Women’s boxing

Jennifer Price, 16, from Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene, lost to Luckie Essari in the 125-pound finals of the inaugural Women’s National Golden Gloves boxing tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Price, formerly from Cheney, won her opening bout against Amber Claussen, from Nebraska, on Thursday.

Tennis

Washington State’s Erica Perkins, a junior from Seattle, advanced through the first three rounds of the 1999 Collegiate Summer Circuit National Tennis Championships in Williamsburg, Va., before losing in the quarterfinals.

Perkins, seeded sixth in the 64-draw tournament, lost to third-seeded Julie Ditty of Vanderbilt, 7-6, 7-6 in singles competition, but managed to stay alive in doubles when she and partner Kristina Kraszewski, from Washington, scored a 6-3, 7-6 quarterfinal win over Furman’s Megan Dunnigan and Colorado’s Jessic Garrow.

The singles and doubles winners of the USTA tournament receive wild-card entries into the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament next month in New York.

Golf

Peter Sisich defeated Bill Witte 4 and 3 in their 36-hole final to win the boys championship flight of the A.R.T. Junior Golf Championships at Esmeralda Golf Course.

In the girls championship flight of the match-play event, Sarah Bassett defeated Lani Elston 2-1 in 18 holes.