Sheena Johnson Tosta won silver in the 400m hurdles on Wednesday morning for the first Olympic medal of her career. Tosta posted a time of 53.70 to earn America's only medal in the event.

 

Tosta, who finished fourth in 2004, earned the highest finish ever by a UCLA woman on this event at the Olympics. She is also UCLA's first Olympic medalist in the 400m hurdles since Janeene Vickers won bronze in 1992.

 

Also competing on Wednesday morning was Yoo Kim, who no-heighted in the pole vault.

 

UCLA volunteer assistant coach Bob Kersee has had quite a meet, as three of his athletes have won medals, with one more to compete in the women's 200m final. Kersee coached Dawn Harper to the gold medal in the 100m hurdles (12.54), Kerron Clement to the silver medal in the men's 400m hurdles (47.98), and Shawn Crawford to the silver in the men's 200m (19.96). Allyson Felix is one of the medal favorites in the women's 200m (final on Thursday morning) and should see action in the relay events.

 

The U.S. softball team advanced to the gold medal match after a 4-1 extra-inning win over Japan in the semifinals Tuesday. Natasha Watley scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, and Crystl Bustos put the game away by crushing a three-run home run two batters later.

 

All four Bruins started in the game, with Watley scoring the winning run, Andrea Duran going 1-for-4, Stacey Nuveman going 1-for-1 and Tairia Flowers batting 1-for-3.

 

The U.S. and Japan will meet again on Thursday evening, this time for gold. The game will begin at 3:30 am PT and will be broadcast live on USA Network.

 

Japan advanced to the gold medal match by defeating Australia in the bronze medal match, 4-3, in 12 innings. Tanya Harding, who earned her fourth career Olympic medal (one silver, three bronze), took the loss after pitching the final 6.1 innings and giving up two runs.

 

The U.S. pair of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers advanced to the Olympic beach volleyball final after defeating Jorge Terceiro and Renato Gomes of Georgia, 21-11, 21-13. Dalhausser/Rogers, who are coached by former UCLA strength coach Bob Alejo, will play the Brazilian team of Marcio Araujo/Fabio Magalhaes in the gold medal match on Friday (8 pm PT Thursday).

 

In indoor volleyball action, the USA remained undefeated in Olympic play, defeating Serbia in five (20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12) to advance to Friday's medal round. UCLA alumnus John Speraw is an assistant coach for the U.S. team.

 

Photo Gallery
View photos from Sheena Tosta's silver medal performance and from the USA softball team's semifinal game HERE.

 

 

 

Medal Count
Gold - 2 (Dawn Harper, track & field, 100m hurdles; Mark Hunter, rowing, lightwt double sculls)
Silver - 1 (Sheena Tosta, track & field, 400m hurdles)
Bronze - 2 (Kim Vandenberg, swimming, 4x200m free relay; Tanya Harding, softball)

 

 

Dawn Harper raced to the gold medal in the 100m hurdles final in a lifetime-best time of 12.54. Running out of lane five, Harper ran away to victory, defeating her nearest competitor by .10 seconds. Lolo Jones, the gold medal favorite, hit the ninth hurdle and stumbled to a seventh-place finish. Damu Cherry, the other American in the final, placed fourth overall.

 

Harper had looked incredibly strong and fast in the first and semifinal rounds and was on pace for a medal in today's final. With today's win, Harper joins Joanna Hayes (2004), and Gail Devers (1996) as Bruin Olympic gold medalists in the high hurdles. The win also marks the second straight Olympic Games in which a Bruin has won the gold medal in the hurdles.

 

"In the beginning, I did feel a little more jitters than I did in the first round," said Harper. "I had to kind of shake them off. I knew I needed to react to the gun, just focus on me and be quick and attack each hurdle."

 

In long jump action, Rhonda Watkins finished 37th with a mark of 19-3.5 (5.88).

 

 

 

UCLA's Natalie Golda scored one goal and added one assist to help lift the U.S. women's water polo team past Australia, 9-8, and into the gold medal match against the Netherlands, slated to take place Thursday, Aug. 21 at 3:20 a.m. PT. Team USA led 8-5 after three quarters before Australia tied the contest, 8-8, with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

 

Brenda Villa scored the game-winning goal on a 6-on-5 opportunity with exactly one minute to, and the Americans held Australia scoreless through the game's final seconds to preserve the win. Former UCLA goalkeeper Jaime Hipp did not play. The U.S. team is led by former UCLA head coach Guy Baker.

 

Since the inception of women's water polo as an Olympic sport in 2000 (Sydney, Australia), the U.S. women's water polo team has advanced to the medal round each year - Team USA earned a silver medal in 2000, took home the bronze in 2004 (Athens, Greece) and assured itself of at least a silver-medal finish in 2008.

 

 

 

View photos from Dawn Harper's gold medal moment, plus photos from the U.S. women's water polo semifinal against Australia HERE.

 

 

 

Sheena Tosta is making the most of her second Olympics

 

 

 

*The USA softball team faces Japan in the semifinals on Wednesday morning (6:30 pm PT Tuesday), followed by the second semifinal pitting Australia against Canada (9 pm PT Tuesday).

 

*Sheena Tosta competes in the 400m hurdles final on Wednesday at 7:35 am PT. Yoo Kim competes in the qualifying rounds of the pole vault at 5:40 am PT

 

*The USA men's volleyball team faces Serbia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 7:00 am PT. UCLA alum John Speraw is an assistant coach for the U.S. team.

 

*Todd Rogers/Phil Dalhausser, who are coached by former UCLA strength coach Bob Alejo, compete in the beach volleyball semifinals on Wednesday morning (6 pm PT Tuesday).

 

 

 

Gold - 2 (Dawn Harper, track & field, 100m hurdles; Mark Hunter, rowing, lightweight double sculls)

 

Bronze - 1 (Kim Vandenberg, swimming, 4x200m free relay)

Women's Soccer The U.S. women's soccer team advanced to the gold medal match after a 4-2 victory over Japan in Monday's semifinal. The U.S. rallied from a 1-0 deficit to score two goals in the final four minutes of the first half and then scored two more goals in the second half to go ahead 4-1. Japan scored in extra time to make the final score 4-2. Angela Hucles scored in each half.

 

Lauren Cheney entered the game in the 83rd minute and had three shots, including two shots on goal. UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis is an assistant coach on the U.S. team.

 

The U.S. will be making its fourth-straight Olympic final and will be taking on Brazil, which beat Germany 4-1 in the other semifinal. The championship match will take place on Thursday at 6 am PT and will be televised live on USA Network.

 

Former UCLA standout Adam Wright helped lead the U.S. men's water polo team past Germany, 8-7, totaling two goals and two assists, as the Americans won their preliminary group and earned an automatic berth in the semifinals. Team USA guaranteed itself of at least a fourth-place finish, which would match the program's best showing since 1988.

 

Wright and Jeffrey Powers each scored two goals for the Americans, and goalkeeper Merrill Moses registered 14 saves in the cage. Former UCLA goalkeeper Brandon Brooks did not play.

 

The U.S. team will face the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal match between Spain and Serbia. The Americans' semifinal game is slated to take place Friday, Aug. 22, at either 3:20 a.m. or 4:40 a.m. (PT).

 

Dawn Harper automatically advanced to the 100m hurdles final with her second-place run in semifinal heat two. Harper ran 12.66 to earn a spot in the final, along with the two other American competitors.

 

Sheena Tosta posted the fastest 400m hurdles time amongst all semifinalists (54.07) to advance to the final.

 

Jessica Cosby fouled out in the hammer.

 

Team USA scored nine runs in the first inning, all with two outs, to propel them to a 9-0, five-inning victory over host China to finish pool play with a 7-0 record. All four Bruins on the U.S. team contributed to the scoring, as Natasha Watley went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI, Andrea Duran was 2-for-2 with a run, Stacey Nuveman went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI and Tairia Mims Flowers went 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI.

 

The Americans will take on Japan in the semifinals on Wednesday morning (6:30 pm PT Tuesday). The U.S. defeated Japan in pool play 7-0.

 

Watley scored the game's first run, coming home on a three-run homer by Kelly Kretschman. Duran followed the bomb with a double and Nuveman drove her in on a single to put the Americans on top 4-0. Following a walk to Lovie Jung, Flowers stroked a double to plate a pair to make it 6-0. A third straight Bruin drove in a fellow alum when Watley knocked home Flowers on a single to put the U.S. up 7-0. Watley came around to score the Americans' eighth run, as they added one more to record nine in the first.

 

The USA Men's Volleyball Team remained unbeaten through pool play by beating Japan 3-0 on Monday. The USA advances to the quarterfinals and meets Serbia on Wednesday, Aug. 20. UCLA alumnus John Speraw is an assistant coach for the USA men's team.

 

Photo Gallery View photos of Bruins competing in track and field and men's water polo, as well as photos of the Olympic Village from Jillian Ellis HERE

Rhonda Watkins jumps in the preliminary rounds of the long jump on Tuesday morning (6:40 pm PT Monday), while

Dawn Harper runs in the finals of the 100m hurdles at 7:30 am PT on Tuesday.

The U.S. women's water polo team faces Australia in the semifinals on Tuesday (11:20 pm PT Monday). The semifinal will be broadcast live online at NBCOlympics.com.

Medal Count Gold - 1 (Mark Hunter, Rowing Lightweight Double Sculls) Bronze - 1 (Kim Vandenberg, Swimming 4x200m Relay)

 

 

UCLA assistant women's rowing coach Mark Hunter and teammate Zac Purchase won gold in the lightweight double sculls on Sunday, becoming the first British pair to ever win this Olympic event. Hunter is the first gold medalist for UCLA this year.

Hunter and Purchase grabbed the lead around the 600m mark and remained strong down the stretch, finishing in a time of 6:10.99. "I've been dying for this day since I started rowing," Hunter said. "The national anthem, the flag. It's a dream come true."

 

 

 

Dawn Harper was an automatic qualifier into the 100m hurdles semifinal rounds with her run in heat five on Sunday morning. Her time of 12.73 was second in her heat and sixth-fastest of all runners.

 

Sheena (Johnson) Tosta was fifth in heat two of the 400m hurdles in a time of 56.12 and advanced to the semifinal rounds based on time as the 15th qualifier overall.

 

 

 

Tairia Mims Flowers hit her first home run of the Beijing Olympics in the second inning of Team USA's 8-0 rout of the Netherlands on Sunday. Natasha Watley went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Stacey Nuveman was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

 

Watley drove in the Americans' third run of the game in the second inning on an RBI single. Nuveman scored her run, the sixth of the contest, in the third. The fourth Bruin on the roster, Andrea Duran, had Sunday's game off.

 

After extending its win streak to 20, the Americans, who are 6-0, close out pool play against China on Monday afternoon (9 pm PT Sunday).

 

Tanya Harding pitched five scoreless innings to help Australia earn the third spot in the semifinals with a 4-0 win over Canada on Sunday.

 

 

 

Former UCLA All-American Elaine Youngs' Olympic run came to an end Sunday, as her and partner Nicole Branagh fell to China's Xue Chen and Zhang Xi 21-17, 21-13 in the quarterfinals of the beach volleyball tournament.

 

Youngs, who had 17 kills, four aces, one block and two digs on Sunday, announced her partial retirement following the match, as she is done playing internationally but might still play on the AVP Tour. Youngs and Branagh finish the tournament 4-1 and in a tie for fifth place.

 

Youngs and Branagh led by as much as four at 12-8, but could not hold the lead against Chen and Xi. The Chinese duo went on a 7-1 run to go ahead 15-13. The U.S. team got to within one on two occasions, but could not get even. Chen and Xi netted four of the set's final five points to win it 21-17. Youngs and Branagh never led in the second set and were tied on four occasions.

 

Youngs was competing in her third Olympics and earned a bronze medal during the 2004 Athens Games with partner and former Bruin Holly McPeak. She also won a bronze medal with beach volleyball coach and former UCLA All-American Liz Masakayan at the 1999 World Championships. Youngs has won nearly 40 professional beach volleyball tournaments in her career.

 

 

 

View photos from today's action, including photos of Mark Hunter from his gold medal ceremony HERE.

 

 

 

*The Modesto Bee catches up with UCLA Hall of Famer and former Olympian Cy Young.

 

 

 

*In Monday track and field action, Jessica Cosby throws in the qualifying round of the hammer (6:10 pm PT Sunday), and Dawn Harper competes in the 100m hurdles semifinal round (4:48 am PT). Sheena Tosta competes in the 400m hurdles semifinal at 5:45 am PT.
*The U.S. softball team closes out pool play against China on Monday afternoon (9 pm PT Sunday), while Australia plays Venezuela at 4:30 am PT.
*The U.S. men's water polo team faces Germany in its final preliminary group match at 11 pm PT Sunday. The U.S. needs a win or tie to advance to the quarterfinals.
*The U.S. women's soccer team faces Japan in the semifinals. The match will begin at 6 am PT and will be televised live on MSNBC.

 

 

Medal Count

 The U.S. men's water polo team upset top-ranked Croatia, 7-5, Saturday at Yingdong Natatorium. Former UCLA standout Adam Wright contributed one goal in the victory for Team USA (3-1), which must defeat Germany on Monday in Beijing to advance to the quarterfinals. A win against Germany would earn the Americans a quarterfinal match and give Team USA an outside shot at advancing directly to the semifinals. Tony Azevedo led the U.S. team with three goals. Former UCLA goalkeeper and current assistant coach Brandon Brooks did not play.

 

The U.S returns to action against Germany in both teams' final preliminary-round match on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 11 p.m. (PT). The U.S.-Germany match can be viewed live online (www.nbcolympics.com).

 

 Jonathan Williams concluded his Olympic competition after finishing sixth in heat two and 13th overall (49.64) in the semifinal rounds of the 400m hurdles.

 

 The United States softball team continued its domination of Olympic opponents Saturday with a 7-0 victory over Chinese Taipei. The U.S. is now 5-0 in pool play and will face the Netherlands on Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. PT (7:30 p.m. Beijing Time).

 

Natasha Watley went 1-for-2 with a walk in the leadoff spot for the Americans, while Andrea Duran scored a run and walked in three plate appearances. Tairia Mims Flowers was 0-for-2, while Stacey Nuveman was given a day off behind the plate after four straight games at catcher.

 

 Mike Altman and the U.S. lightweight fours crew finished fifth in the B final (6:07.79), for an overall finish of 11th.

 

 The U.S. remained undefeated in Olympic play after downing China, 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-18) on Friday. UCLA alumnus John Speraw is an assistant coach on the team. The U.S., which has clinched a quarterfinal berth, next play Japan in its final preliminary match on Monday, Aug. 18 at 7 am PT.

 

 

*Hurdler Jonathan Williams made history for Belize.

*Hurdler Dawn Harper is following in the footsteps of fellow East St. Louis native and Bruin Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Harper is keeping herself occupied and calm awaiting her race.

*Gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs was pleased with how she ended her Olympic competition.

*Discus thrower Suzy Powell reflects on her "disappointing" preliminary performance.

 

It is finally good to get out and play some games at the Olympics after our long tour and practices. The team is doing great so it's a lot of fun. Personally I am getting a little bit of a slow start, but my time will come. I am just trying to stay positive, which isn't that hard because the team is winning and we are playing really well right now!

 

As for my first at-bat of the Olympic Games, I tried not to make it any bigger than what it was because it is still the same game that I have been playing for the past 13 years of my life, just on a bigger stage. I really wanted to hit so when the pitcher hit me, I was kind of like "Oh well, I am on base, woo hoo haha." I think I scored the first run of the Olympics for us, so that was kind of cool! My cousin said he got a picture of it.

 

Our schedule has been pretty busy so there's not that much room for free time, which is O.K. because it is good to stay focused. My typical day lately has been getting up, getting semi-dressed and then walking the long walk to the huge dining hall, where I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal, some fruit and whatever else looks good. From there I return back to my room to finish getting dressed and head with the team to the bus that takes us to the field. The drive is about 40 minutes. We play our game at 12 p.m., then head back on the bus. Sometimes I read on the bus or just mellow out. When we get back to the dorms, I usually wind down, get something to eat and take a shower. Then we have a team meeting, I hang out with some teammates, then get to sleep only to wake up and do it all over again.

 

Like I said before, I don't mind the schedule because it keeps us focused. The village has been fun. It's amazing to see all the countries and all the different kinds of people. It's really fun to people watch.

 

Well, tomorrow we get to sleep in before the game against the Netherlands because we play at night, so I am excited for that!

 

Send a lot of good karma and good energy towards Beijing to help us get gold!

 

 Andrea is a member of the U.S. softball team.

The U.S. defeated Canada, 2-1, in overtime to advance to the semifinals. U.S. sub Natasha Kai scored the game-winner on a diving header in the 101st minute. Lauren Cheney made her Olympic debut, entering the game in the 109th minute. In just 11 minutes of play, she recorded two shots that each missed just wide. Canadian forward Kara Lang started and played all 120 minutes and had one shot on goal.

 

The U.S. will next face Japan in the semifinals on Monday, Aug. 18 in a rematch of an earlier Group play game that the U.S. won, 1-0.

 

Gymnastics
Incoming freshman Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs recorded the second-best all-around finish in Canadian Olympic history, finishing 16th in the all-around finals with a mark of 58.375. Only UCLA alumna Kate Richardson finished higher, with a 15th-place showing in 2000. Hopfner-Hibbs' best scores came on the uneven bars (15.425, seventh-best mark of the night) and vault (14.875).

 

Click on the following links to watch Hopfner-Hibbs' routines: Beam (0:10:45 mark) | Floor (0:30:00 mark) | Vault (1:02:30 mark) | Bars (1:38:40 mark)

 

Former UCLA standout Natalie Golda scored a game-high three goals to pace the U.S. women's water polo team past Russia, 12-7, in both teams' final preliminary-round match. The victory over Russia (0-3), the No. 3 ranked team in the world, helped propel Team USA (2-0-1) into the semifinals, where the Americans will await the winner of Sunday's Australia-China quarterfinal contest. The Americans beat Italy (2-0-1) in a tiebreaker to win Group A.

 

Golda, who scored four goals in Team USA's opening match against China, registered three goals on five shot attempts against the Russians. Former UCLA goalkeeper Jamie Hipp recorded one save in her first appearance of the 2008 Olympics. The U.S. women's team is led by former UCLA head coach Guy Baker.

 

Team USA's semifinal match will take place Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Beijing. Game time is slated for either Monday, Aug. 18 at 11:20 p.m. (PT) or Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 12:40 a.m. (PT).

 

UCLA women's rowing assistant coach Mark Hunter and teammate Zac Purchase became the first lightweight British crew to qualify for an Olympic final, placing first in the semifinals of the lightweight double sculls with a time of 6:29.56. The British crew will race in the Finals on Sunday, Aug. 17.

 

Mike Altman and the U.S. lightweight fours crew finished sixth in their semifinal with a time of 6:16.30 and did not qualify for Sunday's Final A. The U.S. will instead race in the Final B on Saturday, Aug. 16.

 

Natasha Watley hit her second home run of the Olympics in Team USA's 7-0 win over Japan and Andrea Duran had a pair of RBI in an 8-1 comeback victory over Canada.

 

The U.S. is now 4-0 in pool play and will next face Chinese Taipei at 9 p.m. Friday PT (12 p.m. Saturday Beijing time).

 

In game one against Japan, Watley staked Team USA to a 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run in the top of the first. Tairia Mims Flowers reached in all three plate appearances, singling and drawing two walks while scoring a run. Duran went 0-for-1 with a walk in two at-bats.

 

In the second game against Canada, which was halted by rain a day earlier, play resumed with the U.S. trailing 1-0 in the fourth. The score remained that way until the Americans rallied for four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to win it in a rout. Duran capped off Team USA's scoring with a two-run single in the top of the seventh. Watley was 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Flowers and Stacey Nuveman were also in the starting lineup.

 

The U.S. beach volleyball team of former UCLA All-American Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh easily swept Cuba's Dalixia Fernandez Grasset and Tamara Larrea Peraza on Thursday night in 38 minutes, 21-15, 21-13.

 

Youngs and Branagh will face China's Chen Xue and Xi Zhang in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT (Sunday at 10 a.m. Beijing time).

 

Youngs and Branagh lost the first point of the first set, but then scored the next two and never trailed for the rest of the match. Up 4-3, the U.S. team scored four in a row, with two of the points coming on a Youngs kill and ace. The Cuban team got to within two points a few times, but could get no closer. Leading 15-13, Youngs and Branagh scored six of the final eight points to win 21-15.

 

The second set was a wire-to-wire victory for Youngs and Branagh. The Cubans were tied at six and seven, but could not take the lead. Towards the end of the set, Youngs and Branagh were up 17-13 and scored the last four points to win it 21-13.

 

Bruin alum Jonathan Williams, who competes for Belize, ran 49.61 out of lane eight in heat one of the 400m hurdles. Williams was fourth in his heat and 16th overall, qualifying him for the semifinal round, which will be contested at 6:24 am PT on Saturday morning.

 

Suzy Powell-Roos posted a first round throw of 190-4 in the preliminary rounds of the discus but will not advance to the medal final. She finished the competition 15th in her flight and 26th overall.

 

View photos of Bruins in action Friday in softball, beach volleyball, women's soccer, men's rowing and women's water polo HERE

 

 

The U.S. men's water polo team continues preliminary-round play against Croatia on Fri, Aug. 15 at 9:10 p.m. PT.

 

The U.S. softball team will face Chinese Taipei at 9 p.m. Friday PT (12 p.m. Saturday Beijing time).

 

Mike Altman and the U.S. lightweight fours will race in the Final B on Saturday, Aug. 16.

 

In track and field action, Jonathan Williams races in the semifinals of the 400m Hurdles on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 6:24 am PT.

Here are some images of UCLA athletes and alumni competing at the Olympics in Beijing, from the photo galleries at the UCLA Sports website.

 

 

Nicolette Teo, UCLA senior who swims for Singapore, during a heat in the 200-meter breaststroke.

 

 

 

U.S. soccer team training in China, with UCLA's Lauren Cheney at right.

 

 

 

Elaine Youngs, left, and Nicole Branagh face Cubans Dalixia Grasset and Tamara Peraza in the elimination round of the beach volleyball tournament on Friday.

 

 

 

Tanya Harding pitches for the Australian softball team.

 

 

Bruin alum and volunteer swim coach Kim Vandenberg became the first medal-winner for UCLA at the Beijing Olympic Games, as she and the U.S. 4x200m relay team took third (7:46.33) in the final. Vandenberg swam in the preliminary round, helping the U.S. squad to the No. 2 time heading into the final. She did not swim in the medal round but receives a bronze as a member of the relay squad. It is her first Olympic medal and first Olympic competition.

 

Rain delayed the United States' game against Canada on Thursday. Prior to the rain delay, Canada was winning 1-0 in the fourth inning. Play will resume on Friday after the United States-Japan game, which begins at noon Beijing time (9 pm PT Thursday).

 

In a battle of unbeatens, the U.S. defeated Bulgaria in the last match of a contest that began on Aug. 14, 3-1 (27-29, 25-21, 25-14, 26-24) to remain atop Pool A with a 3-0 record. The victory ensures the Yanks will advance to the quarterfinals along with Poland in Pool B (3-0). On Sat., Aug. 16, the U.S. meets China. The match begins at 7 pm PT Friday. UCLA alumnus John Speraw is an assistant coach for the U.S.

 

The U.S. men's water polo team absorbed its first defeat at the 2008 Olympics, losing to Serbia, 4-2, on Thursday. Peter Varellas led the Americans, scoring both goals, and goalkeeper Merrill Moses totaled 11 stops in the cage. Former UCLA standout Adam Wright did not score on two shot attempts, and former Bruin goalkeeper Brandon Brooks did not play.

The U.S. men's water polo team continues preliminary-round play against Croatia on Friday, Aug. 15 at 9:10 p.m. (PT). The Americans have compiled a 2-1 record in preliminary matches, and Croatia has logged a 3-0 mark in the first week of action. The USA-Croatia match can be viewed live online (www.nbcolympics.com) and watched on NBC-4 on Saturday, Aug. 16, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

 

Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg lost in the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament to Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson, 7-6(5), 6-4.

 

Rain postponed rowing action until Friday. Mark Hunter is competing in the semifinals of the lightweight double sculls, while Mike Altman and the U.S. crew competes in the semifinals of the lightweight fours.

 

 

Women's track and field head coach Jeanette Bolden discusses life as an asthmatic.

 

 

*The U.S. women's water polo team faces Russia on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 11:20 p.m. (PT). The USA-Russia match can be viewed live online (www.nbcolympics.com) and watched on NBC-4 on Friday, Aug. 15, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. A win against Russia will advance the U.S. team to the quarterfinals. A victory by Team USA combined with a win by China over Italy will send the U.S. team straight to the semifinals as the first-place competitor in Group A.

 

*The undefeated U.S. softball team faces Japan in a preliminary round game at 9 pm PT Thursday.

 

*The U.S. and Canada will meet in the quarterfinals of the women's soccer tournament at 3 am PT on Friday. The U.S. team includes forward Lauren Cheney and assistant coach Jillian Ellis. Canada is led by Kara Lang.

 

*Track and field action begins on Friday for Bruin alumni Suzy Powell Roos in the Discus and Jonathan Williams in the 400m Hurdles. Discus qualifying begins at 4:55 am PT, while the 400m hurdles begins at 6:55 am PT.

 

*Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh face Cubans Dalixia Grasset and Tamara Peraza in the elimination round of the beach volleyball tournament. Their match will take place Friday at 7 pm PT.

 

*Postponed rowing matches resume Friday, with Mark Hunter competing in the semifinals of the lightweight double sculls and Mike Altman and the U.S. crew competing in the semifinals of the lightweight fours.

 

Bronze - 1 (Kim Vandenberg, Swimming 4x200m Relay)

Women's Water Polo
The U.S. women's water polo team tied Italy, 9-9, in both teams' second preliminary-round match on Wednesday. Italy's Elisa Casanova scored a power-play goal with 22 seconds remaining to tie the top-ranked U.S. team. Former UCLA player Natalie Golda did not score any goals, registering one shot attempt in 26 minutes. Golda's former teammate, goalkeeper Jaime Hipp, did not play. The U.S. women's team is coached by former UCLA head coach Guy Baker. Following Wednesday's match, both the Americans (1-0-1) and Italians (1-0-1) learned that they are guaranteed to advance in Group A because China (1-1) upset Russia (0-2) by a 13-11 margin.

 

The United States completes preliminary match play against Russia, ranked No. 3 in the world, on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 11:20 p.m. (PT). The U.S.-Russia contest can be viewed live online (www.nbcolympics.com) and will be broadcast Friday on NBC-4 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

 

The U.S. beach volleyball team of former Bruin Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh advanced to the round of 16 on Wednesday with a three-set victory over Cuba's Imara Esteves Ribalta and Milagros Crespo, 21-19, 13-21, 15-12.

 

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than three points. With the U.S. squad down 13-12, they scored six of the next eight points to go up 18-15. The Cuban duo scored the next two points, but could not even things up, as Youngs recorded the set-clinching kill.

 

Youngs and Branagh led 4-2 early in the second set, but Cuba scored the next five points and didn't look back. Esteves Ribalta and Crespo's lead got to as high as nine before the eight-point victory.

 

The U.S. team trailed 4-3 early in set number three, but netted the next three points and never relinquished the lead. On match point, Youngs spiked down the game-winner to finish pool play undefeated.

 

Youngs and Branagh move on to the elimination round, which begins for them at 3 a.m. PT Friday morning against an opponent to be determined.

 

On the men's side, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, who are coached by Bob Alejo, defeated Argentina's Conde/Baracetti, 21-12, 21-13, to advance to the medal round.

 

Softball
Natasha Watley drove in the first run of Wednesday's game against Australia in the fifth inning, which proved to be the game-winner, as the United States softball team recorded its second straight no-hitter in a 3-0 victory.

 

The big hit for Watley came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on a single to left-center to score Lovie Jung. The U.S. went on to score two more in the sixth to win it by three.

 

All four Bruins on the Olympic team were in the starting lineup, with Watley at short, Andrea Duran at third, Stacey Nuveman at catcher and Tairia Mims Flowers at first. Duran was 0-for-2 with a walk, while Nuveman and Flowers were each hitless in three at-bats.

 

Former Bruin Tanya Harding started for Australia and allowed three runs, four hits and three walks in five innings with four strikeouts.

 

Bruin alum Kim Vandenberg swam the third leg of the U.S. 4x200m relay that placed first in heat two with a time of 7:52.43. Vandenberg had a split of 1:58.31. The U.S. team had the second-fastest time during the prelim rounds and will swim for gold on Thursday morning (PST). In the 200m breast, Nicolette Teo was sixth in heat two with a time of 2:34.60. She finished the race 36th overall. Amanda Beard, who is coached by UCLA head coach Cyndi Gallagher, finished sixth in heat four with a swim of 2:27.70. She finished 18th overall, just two spots shy of making the semifinal round.

 

The U.S. ended its Olympic Tournament on Wednesday after losing to Nigeria, 2-1. A red card issued to left back Michael Orozco in the third minute was too much for the U.S. to overcome, although they made a valiant effort to nearly achieved the tie they needed to advance to the quarterfinals. Marvell Wynne made his third start of the Olympic Games, and Benny Feilhaber started the second half.

 

Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg advanced to the quarterfinals in doubles after a 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 win over Martin Damm/Pavel Vizner of the Czech Republic. Matkowski/Fyrstenberg will face Sweden's Simon Aspelin/Thomas Johansson on Thursday.

 

Photo Gallery
View photos of the Bruins in today's softball, swimming, men's soccer, women's water polo and beach volleyball action HERE.

 

 

Coming Up
The U.S. men's water polo team plays Serbia on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 7:50 p.m. (PT). The preliminary-round match can be viewed live online (www.nbcolympics.com) and will be broadcast Thursday on NBC-4 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (tape delayed).

 

The USA Softball team continues pool play against Canada, with first pitch scheduled for 9 p.m. PT Wednesday night. 
 

The U.S. women's 4x200m free relay team competes in the finals on Thursday morning. Kim Vandenberg swam in the prelims.

 

Rowing action continues on Thursday with Mark Hunter competing in the semifinals of the lightweight double sculls. Mike Altman and the U.S. crew compete in the semifinals of the lightweight fours.

 

Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs competes in the women's gymnastics all-around finals at 8:15 pm PT. The competition will air on NBC at 11:15 pm PT.

 

Doubles play continues for Marcin Matkowski in the quarterfinal round in men's tennis.