BRIEFLY : EYE INJURY POSTPONES DE LA HOYA FIGHT.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

WBC welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya was cut on his left eyelid during a sparring session, forcing the postponement of his Nov. 21 title defense against Ike Quartey.

De La Hoya cannot spar for three weeks because of the cut, said Lee Samuels, a spokesman for Top Rank, Inc. The injury happened Saturday, Samuels said, and De La Hoya was told of the training restrictions when he had the cut examined again on Tuesday.

De La Hoya was struck on the left eye during a workout at his training facility in Big Bear, said Bob Arum, Top Rank president.

The fight was to have been held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. It will be rescheduled for Feb. 6 or 13 at the same site, Samuels said.

TENNIS: Tom Gullikson, 47, will return as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team for the first-round tie against Great Britain in April. He has led the U.S. to a 12-4 record in five Davis Cup competitions since being named captain in 1994. The U.S. beat Russia for the 1995 title, lost to Sweden in the 1997 finals and lost to Italy in this year's semifinals.

He was also coach of the U.S. men's team that competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Steffi Graf, making her latest comeback from injury, turned in a strong performance, beating Romania's Ruxandra Dragomir 6-3, 6-3 at the Leipzig Open in Germany. Graf had been sidelined nearly two months after surgery for a bone spur on her right hand.

Vincent Spadea of the U.S. upset hometown hero and French No. 1 Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-4 in the $2.55 million Paris Open.

SOCCER: USC soccer (and basketball) player Kim Clark broke her right leg in Sunday's victory over UCLA and will be sidelined for at least six weeks, USC women's coach Jim Millinders announced.

FOOTBALL: Charleston Southern defensive lineman Scott Wehnes, 21, died from bleeding in the brain a day after collapsing just before practice. It was not immediately clear what caused the bleeding.

VOLLEYBALL: Regla Torres Herrera scored eight points in Tokyo as Cuba, the world and Olympic champion, opened defense of its women's world title with a 15-7, 15-8, 15-10 victory over the United States.

The Cubans wore the new-look, one-piece outfits resembling gymnastic tights. Peru wore similar uniforms in its 15-8, 15-6, 15-3 loss to Japan. Another new feature in the tournament was the use of ``libero'' players, who are barred from an attacking role but can be freely substituted as receivers. They wear different-color uniforms than their teammates.

GOLF: When it comes to the Presidents Cup, making the top 12 in the standings is as good as making the team. Jack Nicklaus used his two captain's picks on Fred Couples and John Huston, the third straight time a U.S. captain has taken the 11th and 12th players on the points list. The matches will be played Dec. 11-13 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.