CHATTER: DIFFERENT YEAR, SAME RESULTS FOR A.V. ALL-STARS.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Antelope Valley All-Star team won its opening game at the Big League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich.

For the fourth time in those five appearances, the Western Regional champions followed their convincing performance with a loss to the host team, Michigan District 2.

And Monday's setback might have been the most heartbreaking of them all.

K.C. Christopher's sacrifice fly with one out in the 11th inning scored Kristen Kuhlman to lift Michigan District 2 to a 1-0 pool-play victory over Antelope Valley at Vanderberg Park.

Antelope Valley (9-1), which received a combined no-hitter from Antelope Valley College's Kaylyn Kolesar and Knight of Palmdale's Jasmine Lopez in a 9-0 victory over Poland earlier in the day, was on the other end of masterful pitching performance against the host team.

Jackie Bowe, who led Michigan District 2 to a 2-0 victory over Antelope Valley last year, struck out the first seven batters she faced en route to a 20-strikeout performance over 10 innings. Antelope Valley managed six baserunners -- five walks and a hit batter -- against Bowe, who pitched three innings in last year's win.

Since tournament rules only allow a pitcher to throw 10 innings in a day, Rachel Drafta came on to strike out the side in order for Michigan District 2 in the 11th, completing the combined no-hitter against a team which had scored 112 runs to win the Western Regional tournament in Palmdale.

Lancaster graduate Heather Black surrendered only three hits and struck out 12 in 10 innings for Antelope Valley, which last defeated the host team in 2005, the same year the District 51 representative won its last World Series title.

Quartz Hill's Brittany Farrell came on in relief of Black in the 11th, but surrendered two hits before allowing the game-ending sacrifice fly.

Antelope Valley had a pair of opportunities to score earlier in the contest, as Quartz Hill incoming freshman Sammie Murrietta led off the top of the ninth with a walk, but Quartz Hill's Alena Murgatroyd and Paraclete of Lancaster graduate Ashley Shirk were unable to advance the runner.

In the fourth, Antelope Valley had runners on second and third with two outs, but Bowe struck out Palmdale's Vanessa House for her 11th strikeout. Bowe struck out the side in order in the fifth to increase her total to 14.

Against Poland, in addition to pitching six hitless innings, Kolesar -- a Paraclete graduate -- also hit a three-run homer for Antelope Valley, which scored four runs each in the fourth and fifth innings.

AVC's Shannon Bailey, Paraclete's Nicole Radford, House and Shirk all had two hits in the opener. Bailey doubled and House tripled for Antelope Valley, which plays Puerto Rico at 12:30 p.m. PDT today.

Puerto Rico lost its tournament opener 4-3 to Tampa, Fla., in 10 innings.

Wolverines begin early defense of state title

The Harvard-Westlake of Studio City girls' volleyball team doesn't officially begin its season until Sept. 11, but the Wolverines -- the defending state Div. III champions -- are getting a jump on their competition this week in Honolulu.

Harvard-Westlake leaves today to take part in the prestigious 20-team Ann Kang Invitational at Iolani High, which begins Wednesday.

The Wolverines, the reigning Southern Section Div. I-A champion, begin pool play Thursday against Div. I-A finalist Redondo Union of Redondo Beach, Iolani's JV team and the Honolulu-based Word of Life Academy and Hawaii Baptist Academy.

Harvard-Westlake attended the tournament in 2006, but passed on making the trip to Hawaii last year as a result of the timing of the hiring of coach Adam Black.

Locals on Galaxy's development team

Calabasas High's Nati Schnitman and Trent Clifton, along with Crespi of Encino's Omar Zeeni, St. Francis of La Canada Flintridge's Eric Verso and former Buckley of Sherman Oaks soccer standout Scott Cohen were all selected to the new Los Angeles Galaxy 16-under Development Academy Team.

Schnitman, Verso and Zeeni all competed for the Pasadena-based Futbol Club Barcelona this past club season.

The Galaxy Rios teams in the 16- and 18-under age groups will compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy League this fall.

-- Erik Boal