Dent, Kim Get Wild Cards Into U.S. Open

Taylor Dent of Newport Beach and Kevin Kim of Fullerton have been awarded wild-card entries into the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 28 in New York.

Dent, 19, advanced through the first two rounds at an ATP event in Indianapolis this week, and did not lose his serve in a 7-6, 7-6 loss to Pete Sampras last week in Cincinnati. He qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon, where he lost in four sets to Andre Agassi in the first round.

Kim, 22, earned his wild-card entry by accumulating the most ATP points by an American this year on the USTA Prudential Securities Circuit.

Kim won his first match in an ATP Tour event Monday night when he defeated David Caldwell, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, in the first round of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C.

VOLLEYBALL

Although Newport Harbor senior Heather Cullen will miss the upcoming girls’ volleyball season, she still has her college future secured with a commitment to UCLA, Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said Thursday.

Cullen, All-Sea View League as a middle blocker last season, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury this spring and will be sidelined for the fall season. Despite the injury, UCLA still made a scholarship offer to Cullen, Glenn said.

WATER POLO

Charlie Fisher scored five goals to lead Villa Park-based ORCA to an 11-3 victory over Hawaii B in the 18-and-under quarterfinals at the Hawaiian Invitational water polo tournament in Honolulu.

ORCA plays Stanford in today’s semifinals.

* The U.S. water polo team will play a three-game exhibition with Romania beginning Aug. 27 at Newport Harbor High.

The series was arranged after the U.S. withdrew from a pre-Olympic tournament in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, due to security concerns by the U.S. State Department. The tournament would have matched the U.S. against teams from Russia, Greece, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Italy, Slovakia and Romania.

The series against Romania, which failed to qualify for the Olympics, also includes games Aug. 31 at El Toro High and Sept. 2 at a site to be determined.

BASKETBALL

Shyrah Thomas of Inglewood High will play women’s basketball at Santa Ana College this fall. Thomas, a 5-9 guard, averaged 18.1 points, six assists and four steals for Inglewood last season.

Dameyia Stepney, a 5-foot-8 guard, has transferred from the University of Kansas to Santa Ana. Stepney, who played basketball at Spencer High in Oklahoma, played six games for Kansas in 1998-99 and sat out last season.

* Five players from the Anaheim-based West Orange County Slam girls’ basketball club have signed with Patten College, an NAIA school in Oakland, Slam Coach Don Small said Thursday.

They are: Chrystal Johnson of Bellflower High and Dixie College, LaTyia Williams of Compton Dominguez High, Akuyo Nichols of Lakewood High, Belqui Guidado of Long Beach Millikan and Kamieka Hatter of Compton High.

SOCCER

The slumping Waves travel to Seattle to play the first-place Sounders tonight at 7. The Waves (10-13-1, 46 points), in first place in the A-League’s Pacific Division only six weeks ago, have fallen into a last-place tie with the Bay Area Seals.

Orange County and Bay Area also are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference, 15 points ahead of ninth-place U.S. Pro-40. The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.