SOCCER NOTEBOOK: HIGHLAND CAN STILL BE TOP SEED.

Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News

With the Highland High girls' soccer team suffering its first loss in four years in the Summer Indoor Soccer League, Lancaster has taken over as front-runner at the midway point.

Despite its loss to Paraclete on June 28, Highland can still earn the top seed in the playoffs with victories the next two weeks.

Following Lancaster's 9-2 victory over previously undefeated Antelope Valley on Tuesday, Highland (3-1) moved into a tie for second with the Antelopes (3-1), behind Lancaster (4-0) in the 6-on-6 league.

Highland plays Lancaster at 5 p.m. Tuesday and Antelope Valley on July 19. In the Bulldogs' 6-2 victory this past Tuesday over Knight, incoming freshman Kellie Hunter scored three goals, Stephanie Sanchez had two - giving her a team-leading seven - and Aarika Martinez added the other goal.

Highland - which has given up eight goals, the second fewest in league- was again led by sweeper Erika Sargent.

``The real star was Erika,'' Highland coach Juan Paolo said. ``She was all over the place.''

Sargent and Highland goalkeeper Kellie Drenner will be tested next Tuesday against Lancaster, which features two of the league's top four scorers in Patty Garcia (13 goals) and Maria Arroyo (12 goals).

The other two leading scorers are Frazier Mountain's Shelly Birtell (14 goals) and Vanessa Mejia (13 goals). Birtell and Mejia significantly boosted their goal totals in a 27-0 victory over Antelope Valley's No. 2 team.

Paraclete (2-1) beat Frazier Mountain 7-5 and Knight won its first game, 6-1 over Palmdale. Frazier Mountain (2-4), Knight (1-3) and Palmdale (0-3) round out the league standings.

The boys' upper division league will resume Monday after being off this week because of the July 4 holiday.

--Volleyball update: Following an outstanding junior season with the Paraclete girls' volleyball team, setter/middle blocker Angela Hupp has established herself as the top player in the Antelope Valley entering her senior season.

Hupp, who has already committed to Cal State Northridge, recently showcased her talents at the Volleyball Festival in Reno, Nev., which is recognized as the largest annual athletic event in the world.

Hupp led her Santa Monica Beach Club 18-1 team to 11th place out of 121 teams in the 18-and-under division. Middle blocker Nicole Gurr, Hupp's teammate at Paraclete last season, was unable to join SMBC in Reno because of her commitment to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

SMBC's 17-1 team, featuring Quartz Hill's Tara Henn, was ninth of 94 teams in the 17-and-under division.

Several other girls' volleyball teams with Antelope Valley ties also competed during the week-long event, including Revolution Volleyball Club, which had teams competing in the 18-and-under, 17-and-under and 16-and-under divisions.

Revolution's 18-and-under team, featuring Highland's Nicole Moore and Breanna Morales, Quartz Hill's Summer Plante-Newman and Rayanna Yeaw, Antelope Valley's Nicole Vargo, Palmdale's Kristy Nua and Bethel Christian's Julie Stilson, finished 49th of 121 teams.

Revolution's 17-and-under team, which includes Paraclete's Danielle Evans and Jenna Novelli, Lancaster's Roxy Neely and Ryan Smith and Highland's Brianna Koback, was 57th of 94 teams. Revolution's 16-and-under team, comprised of Palmdale's Amber Bunnell, Nichol Castro, Sienna Shankel and Megan Wilbur, Bethel Christian's Brittany Andrade, Kellie Keefauver, Joy Sanchez and Cesselie Shigg, Paraclete's Jolene Millar, Rosamond's Sabrina Blajos and Vasquez's Shanna Wright, was 205th of 224 teams. Lancaster Volleyball Club's 18 Gold team finished 97th of 121 teams.

Erik Boal, [phone]

erik.boal(at)dailynews.com