EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE ROUTS SAN SEBASTIAN COLLEGE IN NCAA VOLLEYBALL
Emilio Aguinaldo College swept San Sebastian College in three sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-16, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s volleyball tourney on Tuesday at the FilOil-Flying V Arena.

Emilio Aguinaldo is now sharing the top spot with University of Perpetual Help with six wins and a defeat. JP ABCEDE

CRAWFORD HELPS SEND ROCKETS TO FOURTH STRAIGHT LOSS
HOUSTON, Texas: Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 30 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 117-109, despite playing their second consecutive game without star guard Chris Paul. The Rockets shot just 38.9 percent to the Clippers’ 60 percent in the quarter. Houston closed the gap to 13 points by the end of the third, but Crawford put the game away for Los Angeles with his superb shooting to start the fourth. He scored the Clippers’ first 12 points of the fourth, nailing five shots in a row to build their lead back up to 19 points with just over nine minutes left. AFP

FERRER SUBDUES SMYCZEK TO REACH THIRD ROUND
MELBOURNE: Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer needed five match points before subduing American Tim Smyczek in four sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. Ferrer was extended by the 125th-ranked American before clinching a 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win in 2 hours 38 minutes on Margaret Court Arena to take his place in the last 32 of the tournament. He beat Nadal in the quarterfinals in Melbourne two years ago before going down to Andy Murray in the semifinals, his best performance at the Australian Open. Ferrer will play Marcos Baghdatis in the third round. AFP

MCILROY UNFAZED BY EXPECTATIONS BEFORE SEASON OPENER
ABU DHABI: Rory McIlroy on Tuesday said that he was unfazed by his position as world No.1 and the weight of expectations, as the game’s top stars gathered in the Gulf for the season opener. McIlroy, who has finished fifth, third and twice runner-up in the past four years in Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, described his current situation as an “exciting time,” adding that he was hoping to translate his efforts on the practice ground to the course. The reigning PGA champion said that he was now able to control his new ball in wind and had picked up speed and distance with his new driver and irons. McIlroy and former world number one Tiger Woods have been paired together for the first two rounds with three-time Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer. AFP

SHARAPOVA SAYS ATHLETE RELATIONSHIPS ‘MANAGEABLE’
MELBOURNE: Maria Sharapova has insisted it’s “manageable” to date a fellow top athlete after her relationship with Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov set tongues wagging. “I think it’s very manageable. We have a very hectic lifestyle and travelling schedule, but in a way, this is what we do and we have to accept it,” she said, according to Melbourne’s Herald Sun. Sharapova broke up last year with Slovenian basketball player Sasha Vujacic, but her relationship with Dimitrov, nicknamed “Baby Federer” for his playing style, has been the talk of the tennis circuit in recent weeks. Dimitrov has bristled at questions about Sharapova, calling it a “privacy invasion.” AFP