The NCAA hosts 24 sports in a final, single-elimination tournament to mark the end of their respective seasons — and beach volleyball is no exception.

Just because March has passed doesn’t mean the madness has.

Cal beach volleyball will be entering the NCAA tournament following its recent showing at the MPSF championship. The Bears finished the MPSF tournament with a heartbreaking and narrow 3-2 loss to No. 3 USC, which knocked Cal out of the tournament but allowed it to maintain its bid to the NCAA finals as the No. 10 seed, per the selection show Sunday.

The last game against the Trojans came down to the final set, with both pairs battling for every point.

The loss was determined on the fifth court where senior Ella Dreibholz and junior Jenna Colligan matched up against USC’s Madison Goeliner and Kaleigh Truslow. The first two sets were determined by extra points, the first going in Cal’s favor and the second going to the Trojans. USC, however, came out strong for the third set and held its lead to win the set and the game.

“Honestly, it is better to learn from those losses,” said sophomore Emma Donley. “We are ready to come at people now.”

Before the semifinal against the Trojans, the Bears twice beat No. 13 Grand Canyon and were swept by No. 1 UCLA.

No. 2 Stanford upset the Bruins 3-1 to advance to the tournament final, where it earned the conference’s first-ever title in a 3-2 win over USC. UCLA has consistently been ranked first in the nation throughout the season, with this upset only proving the true threat of all the teams entering the NCAA tournament from the West Coast.

After returning to Berkeley for the weekend, Cal heads back on the road for its final and farthest trip for the NCAA tournament. This is the Bears’ fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, having exited in the second round last year.

Cal is set to face off against No. 7 Texas on Friday, whom it has played twice for a 2-3 loss and then a 3-2 win in March. Despite being familiar foes, the Longhorns will be a tough matchup — not just because they are seeking redemption, but because they are hot off of a Coastal Collegiate Sports Association conference championship win against No. 8 Florida State whom they swept for the title.

The Bears have tried to assert their potential at winning a national title all season, but have continued to fall short in some key moments and had some unlucky finishes in notable losses against Stanford, USC and Texas. Nonetheless, the team is putting their all into finishing off this season on a deserving note.

“Cal hasn’t ever won past the second rounds of NCAA,” Donley said. “I think it would be a huge thing, even if it doesn’t mean winning, just being able to make that milestone.”

Donley and her partner junior Portia Sherman remain the top of the lineup at court one, with little changes being made to the roster since the Hawaii Invitational about two weeks ago.

The Bears have three days to practice in Alabama before taking the courts Friday, sorting out last-minute adjustments and adapting to the conditions 2,367 miles away on an away court disadvantage.

Wind forecasts have been a huge factor for Cal this season because it gets less gusts at home pits than many of its opponents, especially those who regularly practice on an actual beach.

Cal’s first game starts at 11 a.m. May 2 and will be streamed on ESPN.

“I hope the team can show to other people how much effort and togetherness we have,” Donley said. “That’s what makes our team so great.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BOX SCORE | SCHEDULE] – On the first day of pool play, the No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) Tigers upset the No. 3 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) Blue Devils in a thrilling five-set match during the 2025 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship at the Alliant Energy Power House. 

Georgetown (24-4) secured the win with set scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-27, and 15-8. Lawrence Tech (26-3) put up a formidable fight, pushing the match to a decisive fifth set.

Michal Bak led Georgetown with an impressive 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .367, making significant contributions to the team’s offensive strength. He also added two service aces and eight digs to his performance. Kristjan Unt followed with 18 kills, hitting at a .238 percentage, and was crucial in maintaining the team’s momentum. Finn Heinemann played a pivotal role as the setter, posting a double-double, amassing 45 assists and 19 digs, while also contributing four service aces. Ariza Vega Miguel had a strong performance at the net with five blocks (three solo, two assisted) in the match 

For Lawrence Tech, Nestor Addah led the attack, delivering 15 kills and contributing 17 digs. Addah was followed by his teammate, Brendon Down, who recorded 11 kills. Akram Askoul was efficient with a .429 hitting percentage, adding nine kills and five block assists to his team’s efforts.

Georgetown demonstrated superior attacking efficiency with a .233 hitting percentage compared to Lawrence Tech’s .096. The Tigers’ strategic play was evident in their ability to capitalize on key moments, particularly in the decisive fifth set, where they hit .444 without committing any errors.

Defensively, both teams showcased resilience, with Georgetown recording 59 digs and Lawrence Tech closely behind with 57. The blocking battle was competitive, with the Tigers boasting 16 block assists against the Blue Devils 18.

Broken handrail to be privately repaired

A missing handrail next to a stairway on Prospect Street will be privately replaced in coming months.

The handrail was removed after a tourist visiting La Jolla from out of state suffered minor injuries last month when the handrail broke from its base and gave way, causing the man to fall.

The broken handrail was removed, and the handrail on the other side of the stairs remains.

Originally, San Diego city spokesman Anthony Santacroce said the city of San Diego would be “making interim repairs to the damaged section of the stairs until the city is able to initiate a capital improvement project to construct a new staircase.”

However, later discovering the stairway is on private property — connecting Prospect Street to Coast Boulevard — the city stepped back from the replacement project.

Soon after, property owner Don Allison confirmed to the La Jolla Light that the handrail would be replaced by his property management team. A schedule was not immediately available.

Rehabilitated bird found at Torrey Pines beach released back into the wild

A loon that was found at Torrey Pines State Beach covered in tar was rehabilitated and returned to the wild this month.

The loon was unable to stay warm or fly, and SeaWorld San Diego’s rescue team took it to its Oiled Wildlife Care Center, where the team stabilized the bird with hydration, feeding and multiple washes to remove the tar.

After a month of care, the loon regained its strength and was ready to return to its natural habitat.

La Jolla Country Day wins beach volleyball league title

The rivalry between Santa Fe Christian and La Jolla Country Day School was renewed last week with the Coastal League beach volleyball championship at stake.

The Torreys were dominant on their home sand April 23, winning all five matches against the Eagles.

Four matches were completed in straight sets and the other went three sets.

The Torreys improved to 15-3 overall and 7-0 in league play.

Drug being researched for possible role to treat brain tumors

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in childhood, and the deadliest of these tumors are known as high-grade gliomas, with the grade referring to how quickly certain tumors grow and spread throughout the central nervous system.

Recently, scientists from an international team that includes the Chavez Lab at La Jolla-based Sanford Burnham Prebys and many other institutions published findings in Cancer Cell indicating that the drug avapritinib may be effective against certain brain tumor cells.

Notably, the drug was found to be one of the rare few that can cross the blood-brain barrier known to prevent the passage of more than 98% of small molecule drugs.

Avapritinib is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating gastrointestinal and other cancers. With more research, it may be possible to repurpose avapritinib to treat high-grade gliomas, the researchers say.

Genetically modified crops studied for carbon sequestration

UC San Diego researchers say genetically enhanced crops of plants featuring enlarged roots present an opportunity for society to achieve a drawdown of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

A new study from scientists at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and School of Global Policy and Strategy compares this potential agricultural solution to other proposed methods of carbon dioxide removal as a way of showing what needs to happen to address climate change on a global scale.

Scientists contributing to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report estimated that if society is to have a chance at counteracting global CO2 emissions, it must find a way to remove 5-16 billion tons of the greenhouse gas every year. That would need to be done in addition to stopping or substantially slowing how much greenhouse gas continues to be added to the atmosphere daily.

Failure to do this in a timely manner puts the planet at risk of experiencing catastrophic changes in weather, crop failures and spread of diseases, according to the report.

Following an analysis, so-called carbon-enhanced crops could, within 13 years of first adoption, remove 0.9 to 1.2 gigatons annually, the research team said. That is about seven times more than all CO2 offsets supplied today to the global market.

New potential treatment for high blood pressure being explored

Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine recently identified a potential new treatment for people with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure.

The study, published in the April 23 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, was designed to “look at the impact of a novel medication in lowering blood pressure for individuals whose hypertension is inadequately controlled by current standard medications,” said Dr. Michael Wilkinson, principal investigator for the study and a cardiologist at UC San Diego Health.

The study determined that clinical trial participants taking a new drug called lorundrostat experienced a 15-point reduction in systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, compared with a seven-point reduction for patients who received a placebo.

Being able to reduce pressure by 15 points, Wilkinson said, could be clinically significant, especially for those on the more extreme side of the scale.

“We would expect that being able to help these patients achieve safer blood pressure levels will make a significant difference in helping them to avoid heart attacks and strokes,” Wilkinson said.

This marked the second phase of the effort and was done in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research. Researchers say their next step is a larger third-phase trial of the medication.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension affects about 120 million people across the United States, nearly half of all adults, and is considered the leading cause of heart disease in the country. Usually, high blood pressure has no signs or symptoms.

Read the full study at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501440.

La Jolla immunologist named to Academy of Arts and Sciences

Immunologist Shane Crotty, a professor and chief scientific officer at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Crotty was elected in recognition of his leadership in immune system research and his breakthroughs in understanding fundamental aspects of how the immune system works.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and a group of other American leaders to promote research and learning. Since then, elected members have included John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Jonas Salk.

Crotty joined the LJI faculty in 2003. His research has been considered critical for understanding how the immune system’s T cells and B cells work together to fight pathogens such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Crotty also is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology and has been honored by the American Association of Immunologists for outstanding career contributions to B cell biology.

In addition to research, Crotty has dedicated his career to mentoring early-career scientists and to public outreach.

He says the goals of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences hold deep meaning for him.

“It’s an honor to join an organization with a mission to serve — to advance health and quality of life,” Crotty said. “That really resonates with me.”

Researchers find higher risk of death for children with liver disease

A recently published study on children diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, says they are at high risk of premature death or serious health complications.

The Longitudinal InVestigation Evaluating Results of Steatosis, or LIVERS, study followed 1,096 children over an average span of 8½ years, according to UC San Diego Health Sciences. Researchers found their mortality rate “was 40 times higher than that of similar peers in the general U.S. population.”

Jeffrey Schwimmer, a professor of pediatrics at the UCSD School of Medicine and director of the Fatty Liver Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, put the results into context.

“MASLD poses a real and measurable threat to pediatric health,” he said. “To truly change outcomes, we need better tools to diagnose this disease, treatments that work for children and systems that ensure every child has access to that care.”

MASLD was previously referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. It is the most common chronic liver disease children are affected by, including one-quarter of people with obesity.

The findings were published April 22 in Hepatology, the scientific journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Researchers say the study is the “most comprehensive assessment to date of clinical outcomes in pediatric MASLD.”

La Jolla Loves Pets Foundation announces summer Mutt Strut

From the group that brought you Dog-O-Ween and Santa Paws, the La Jolla Loves Pets Foundation is coming back with the 2025 La Jolla Mutt Strut.

The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 22, throughout The Village — beyond the usual meeting place at the La Jolla Recreation Center.

At this year’s Mutt Strut, participants will have the opportunity to solve a pet-themed puzzle with stops at local businesses. Upon completion, a prize will be available at a participating location.

To learn more or register a business, visit lajollalovespets.org.

— Writer Breven Honda and San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Paul Sisson contributed to this report. ♦

Originally Published: April 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM PDT

Winter is long over, yet some may feel a chill over campus as the Diablo Valley College drama department prepares its hauntingly humorous spring production, Blithe Spirit.

The play, which opens Friday, May 2, and runs through Sunday, May 18, follows middle-aged English novelist Charles Condomine, who is investigating the acts of the supernatural for his upcoming work. The script was originally published by Noël Coward, an acclaimed English playwright and composer, in 1941.

While remarried to his wife, Ruth, Charles Condomine performs a seance with four other characters that results in his deceased wife, Elvira, haunting the evening. Hijinks ensue through hilarious miscommunications as he is the only one in the group of 5 able to see and hear the ghost of Elvira.

Second-year student Samuel Westbrook, 21, plays the role of Charles in his first role starring in a DVC production.

“I connect with the character in terms of his sense of humor,” Westbrook said about the part of playing Charles. “He has a sort of dry wit and a lot of sarcasm. I think I kind of behave similarly to that.”

The part of Ruth is being played by fourth year student Andi Anderson, 21. Some may recognize Anderson for their role as Rosencrantz in last spring’s production Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead.

“Ruth Condomine is not your average housewife,” Anderson explained about their character. “She does seem like that on the surface, but I think she has a lot more depth to her and she’s the only one who kind of puts all the pieces of the show together before any of the other characters do.”

The deceased Elvira is played by third year student Ellie Celine, 20, who is in her first role as a main cast member in a DVC show.

“I’d like to think she’s the most different character I’ve ever played,” said Celine. “Sometimes I find it hard to relate to her. But I think she has good intentions with whatever she’s doing, and I will defend her until I die.”

The director of Blithe Spirit, Reed Martin, has been a faculty member in the DVC Drama Department since 2019. He has also worked with the Reduced Shakespeare Company since 1989, which tours the country writing, directing and performing productions.

“It’s one of the great comedies of all time,” Martin told The Inquirer. “It’s been done forever because it’s just a very clever idea, and it’s very funny.”

When asked what makes the show special, and what makes it worth watching for their fellow students, the three cast members agreed in their response: because it’s a good time.

“I think they should come see the show because it’s genuinely really funny,” said Westbrook. “I think it’s survived a long time on just the written material, and I think we have a cast that can particularly bring it to life.”

The style of humor is what Anderson said specifically was a highlight of the play. “It’s fast paced, but funny, and I feel like you’re going to want to watch it multiple times.”

 “It’s a comedy, but it’s got a lot of heart.”

Celine agreed, but explained how the cast’s performance goes beyond its humor as well. “We have all been working really hard, and even though it’s comedic, we poured our hearts and souls into the show,” Celine said. 

“I think it would be fun for these people, who aren’t in the program, to get to know these characters that we brought to life.”

Tickets are available for purchase at dvcdrama.net. Tickets can also be purchased at the box office window near the PAC lobby, which opens an hour before curtain for each show.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s highly-touted incoming freshman Izzy Mogridge received an invite to play on the 2025 U.S. Girls U19 National Team, USA Volleyball announced Monday.
 
Being identified as some of the top players in the country for their age group, 19 athletes were selected for the team. Mogridge will compete at training camp from June 1-7 at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Should she make the 12-member roster, she would compete for Team USA at the 2025 FIVB U19 World Championship in Osijek, Croatia and Belgrade, Serbia.
  
A native of Lutz, Florida, Mogridge was chosen as one of 26 prep standouts across the country to play in the 2025 Under Armour All-American Game in January. She plays club volleyball for OTVA Tampa with fellow UT signee Maggie Dostic and attended Berkeley Prep.
 
The Class 3A Player of the Year, Mogridge helped Berkeley Prep to a state runner-up finish in the Florida Championships. In the regional semifinal, she recorded a triple-double with 11 kills, 15 digs and 13 assists. Over her final two seasons of high school, she tallied 997 assists, 437 kills, 311 digs, 99 aces and 67 blocks.

2025 U19 National Team Roster for World Championship

(Name, Pos., Birth Year, Height, Hometown, School in 2024)

Henley Anderson (OPP/OH, 6-3, 2007, Dripping Springs, Texas, Dripping Springs HS)

Logan Bell (L, 5-11, 2007, Beech Grove, Ind., Roncalli HS, Hoosier)

Kalyssa Blackshear (MB/OPP, 6-4, 2007, Torrance, Calif., University of Louisville)

Suli Davis (OH, 6-1, 2007, Euless, Texas, Brigham Young University)

Abbey Emch (MB, 6-3, 2007, New Waterford, Ohio, University of Pittsburgh)

Genevieve Harris (S, 5-11, 2007, Raleigh, N.C, Cardinal Gibbons HS)

Lily Hayes (L, 5-9, 2007, Tampa, Fla., Berkeley Prep HS)

Isabelle Hoppe (S, 5-8, 2008, Gibsonia, Pa., Pine Richland HS)

Kelly Kinney (OH/OPP, 6-2, 2007, West Palm Beach, Fla., The Kings Academy)

Lameen Mambu (OH, 6-0, 2007, Chantilly, Va., Georgia Tech)

Izzy Mogridge (S, 5-11, 2007, Lutz, Fla., Berkeley Prep HS)

Gabrielle Nichols (MB, 6-3, 2007, Winston Salem, N.C., Penn State University)

Cari Spears (OH, 6-3, 2007, Dallas, Texas, University of Texas)

Jordan Taylor (MB, 6-5, 2007, Houston, Texas, University of Minnesota)

Charlotte Vinson (OPP, 6-2, 2007, Muncie, Ind., Yorktown HS)

Natalie Wardlow (MB/OPP, 6-5, 2007, Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln Southeast HS)

Aniya Warren (L, 5-8, 2007, Lockport, Ill., Benet Academy)

Ayanna Watson (OH/OPP, 6-3, 2007, Henderson, Nev., Bishop Gorman HS)

Devyn Wiest (OH, 6-3, 2007, Peoria, Ariz., University of Utah)