COLLEGES:

It has been nearly 15 years since Mike Myers played Linda Richman on “Saturday Night Live,” but a recurring theme in the character’s fictitious television call-in program “Coffee Talk,” was on display on the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team’s bench during the Anteaters’ Mountain Pacific Sports Federation home win over UCLA Friday.

UCI Coach John Speraw didn’t reprise Richman’s request for viewers to “tawk amongst yourselves,” but when he and his staff didn’t budge to engage the players coming off the court late in a Game 1 setback, the Anteaters immediately began handling their own tutorial.

“I’m very analytical about what we do tactically on the court,” said Speraw, whose team rallied for a four-game triumph. “But I’m also trying to teach these guys to be responsible, independent young men, and part of that lesson needs to start on the volleyball court with how they strategize and how they communicate with one another. So I’ve started saying less and asking more questions, instead of telling them what to do. And that time, in particular, I told my staff to sit down. I wanted [the players] to talk among themselves. I’ve done that periodically and with some good results. I like it.”

UCI senior Taylor Wilson, who had a season-high 17 kills against the Bruins and was named National Player of the Week, as well as MPSF Co-Player of the Week on Monday, said there was no surprise when the coaches looked the other way during the timeout.

“We talk a lot about being a self-sufficient team,” Wilson said. “We talk a lot about what’s going on and what the other team is doing and we try to figure out ways to score points on the other team. [Speraw] really promotes that a lot. He likes to have the staff sit down. They say a few things here or there, but he really enjoys when we can try to figure out how to try and stop a team.

“I think it empowers us a lot. And because we’re being so vocal with each other, we can understand it and put it into terms better for other guys on the team, especially the younger guys, who don’t have as much experience.”

 Wilson’s performance Friday was yet another positive sign for the Anteaters, who had received only sporadic contributions from the 6-foot-7 senior outside hitter since he was slowed by an ankle problem last season.

A starter on the 2007 NCAA championship team, Wilson returned to the starting lineup when sophomore Cory Yoder went down with knee tendinitis.

Yoder said Friday he is set to return to practice this week, yet another positive for the No. 4-ranked team that appears to be making a run at its third Final Four in four seasons.

 The UCI men’s basketball team’s run toward the top of the Big West Conference standings took a hit with a 67-63 home loss to Long Beach State Saturday.

The Anteaters (7-14, 4-4), however, learned Monday they will play at Hawaii Feb. 21 in their annual BracketBuster series matchup.

Hawaii (10-11) played host to the last meeting between the two schools in 1984.

The basketball game will make it “UCI Weekend” at Hawaii, where the Anteaters’ baseball team will be to open its season with a four-game series beginning Feb. 20.

 The Vanguard University women’s basketball team continues its path toward recapturing the Golden State Athletic Conference title won last year by Point Loma Nazarene.

Coach Russ Davis’ Lions (18-2, 11-0 in the GSAC), ranked No. 2 in NAIA Division I, visit second-place Point Loma (16-4, 10-2, ranked No. 11) tonight at 5:30.

A victory would give Vanguard, the reigning national champion, a three-game lead with eight regular-season games left.

 The UC Irvine women’s soccer team has already had an eventful few months since wrapping up its 2008 season.

Assistant coach Kendall Fletcher was drafted by the Los Angeles Sol of the Women’s Professional League.

Fletcher, who played at North Carolina, was also selected to attend the U.S. women’s national team training camp.

The Sol opens the season March 29 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

In other UCI women’s soccer news, defender Shea Roberts, who logged the third-most minutes last season as a freshman, has transferred to Sacramento State.

Also, assistant coach Justin Neerhof has stepped down to begin developing his non-profit organization.

 The UCI women’s basketball team has bolstered its bid to earn one of eight Big West Tournament berths by beating Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State within an eight-day span.

First-year coach Molly Goodenbour has helped the Anteaters consistently improve, despite inheriting a roster thin on talent, and losing leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Mary Has, a junior, to recent ACL surgery.

Junior Rebecca Maessen, who had a career-high 24 points in Saturday’s win at Long Beach State, has been the team’s best player.

But 6-foot-4 sophomore center Kim Barnes continues to make huge strides. Barnes, who made the game-winning layup against Northridge Jan. 24, has averaged 11 points and seven rebounds in the last three games. The 33 points she has produced in that span are more than half of her season total (65).

 UCI baseball coach Mike Gillespie said his culinary claim to fame was making onion dip, before participating in a friendly cooking challenge between Southern California college coaches Jan. 24 at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim.

He may not have been joking.

Gillespie was given the “Nightmare in the Kitchen” award at the event, which was won by USC Coach Chad Kreuter, Gillespie’s son-in-law.

 Members of the UCI baseball team spent Thursday visiting with patients at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

“We were fortunate enough to get an opportunity to visit and hang out with some of the kids at [CHOC],” senior shortstop Ben Orloff said in a release. “The kids were awesome! It was real neat to see how brave and how much spirit these kids had.

“Our visit was really eye-opening and gave us all a perspective on what’s really important in life. I will never forget the kids we were lucky enough to meet. It was an experience I will take with me the rest of my life.”

 The Ralph Grajeda era of Vanguard baseball opens today at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where the first-year coach leads the Lions in their season debut.

Vanguard was scheduled to open the campaign against visiting Patten Friday, then play a doubleheader with the Oakland-based school Saturday. But all three games were canceled.