BRUINS LIKE WHAT THEY SEE OF STAR FRESHMAN INJURIES LIMIT ACOSTA AT PRACTICE, BUT NOT IN GAMES.

Byline: LEE BARNATHAN University Beat

It might seem odd to see UCLA freshman outside hitter Jonathan Acosta standing around while everyone else practices. For years, UCLA practices often have been more competitive than any match.

It might seem more surprising to know UCLA coach Al Scates gives permission for Acosta not to practice. Maybe Scates, in his 40th year at the helm, is slipping.

Acosta proves that's not true. He helps the Bruins to their sixth Hawaii tournament title and is named MVP after 16 kills in three matches. Then comes the news he has been named school, conference and national player of the week and will be featured in a future Sports Illustrated as a ``Face in the Crowd.''

After that weekend, Acosta deserves a break. But the real reason he rests is because he's hurt.

Last year, Acosta tore an abdominal muscle three times in four months, causing him to redshirt. Rest and rehabilitation has helped, but Acosta still must take it easy if he feels soreness or tightness.

``I treat players differently,'' Scates said. ``I'm going to give Jonathan days off to rest. If he needs a day off, we'll certainly give him a day off. It's still dangerous.''

Acosta didn't practice Tuesday or Wednesday but was expected to start Friday at Long Beach State in UCLA's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener.

Scates has said Acosta was capable of greatness, but no one knew because of his injury. Acosta's power when he hits comes from his abdomen, as opposed to the shoulders for other players. All the years playing on the beaches and gyms of his native Puerto Rico took their toll.

Now that he has healed enough, he is meeting expectations.

``I've been wanting to come back since I got hurt,'' Acosta said. ``I knew I'd play well. (In Hawaii), friends came up to me and said, `You're playing great' and `Keep up the good work.' I still have this season and three more. I'm sure I can get better.''

--Logjam: The Pacific-10 Conference women's basketball standings look like this: Stanford (8-0), by 2 1/2 games over USC, Arizona State and Oregon State (all 6-3); and 3 1/2 games ahead of Oregon, Washington and Arizona (all 5-4). UCLA (2-7), Cal (1-7) and Washington State (0-9) trail.

It doesn't get easier for the Trojans, who play tonight at Oregon and Saturday at Oregon State. Coach Chris Gobrecht calls this road trip the toughest of all.

``It's the toughest place to get any kind of a `W','' she said. ``You like to feel you've got a shot at a split most places. This is a really, really hard road trip and coming at a time when you're going to do something to either shoot yourselves forward or shoot yourselves back, so we're going to do the best we can. But we do understand the magnitude of it.''

--Brazilian wonder: ``Guga'' reigns on the pro tennis circuit. UCLA hopes ``Rigo'' will do the same for them.

``Rigo'' is junior Rodrigo Grilli, who last week accomplished an amazing feat when he won the first tournament as a Bruin, the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Las Vegas. He had transferred from College of the Desert, where he won two state doubles titles and reached the state singles final twice, winning in 2001.

Casey Angle, a spokesman at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in New Jersey, could recall only one other time in the past six years that has happened. Stanford's Ryan Wolters won the ITA Men's All-American Championships in 1996.

Grilli's not ready to compare himself to Gustavo Kuerten, his famous countryman, but the Bruin has started well.

Standing just 5-foot-10, Grilli isn't as tall as Kuerten, so while Guga can afford to stay on the baseline and trade groundstrokes, Grilli has had to vary his play. He sometimes plays from the baseline, sometimes serve and volleys and sometimes charges the net immediately.

His victory demonstrates UCLA's depth. Grilli is one of four players who could play No. 1 singles. Tobias Clemens won the Sherwood Collegiate Cup in Thousand Oaks on Sunday, Jean-Julie Rojer played No. 1 last year, and Marcin Matkowski won a regional tournament at Pepperdine in the fall.

Kuerten has a large female following wherever he plays. UCLA coach Billy Martin hopes Grilli can use his looks to lure fans.

``He's cute, no doubt about it,'' Martin said. ``Rodrigo's a good-looking guy, Hopefully, the female fans will come out. We'll take every fan we get.''

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With abdominal pain, Jonathan Acosta is limited in practice time, though he is expected to play this weekend.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer