In Brief | Nation and World Sept. 12

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LUBBOCK, Texas — An ambulance was sent to the home of Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie for the second time in 10 days while he remains on leave as the school investigates his leadership of the program.

2nd 911 call from home
of Texas Tech coach Gillispie

LUBBOCK, Texas — An ambulance was sent to the home of Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie for the second time in 10 days while he remains on leave as the school investigates his leadership of the program.

Lubbock Police Sgt. Jeff Baker said Tuesday that the emergency call came from Gillispie’s home around 6 p.m. Monday and that an ambulance was sent.

A spokesman for University Medical Center, where Gillispie earlier spent six days this month, said Gillispie did not come there. A spokeswoman for the other hospital in Lubbock said Gillispie was not brought there.

Gillispie, in a text message to The Associated Press late Tuesday, said he would be treated for high blood pressure “amongst other things,” at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Texas Tech spokesman Blayne Beal said Gillispie told athletic director Kirby Hocutt he was going to the Minnesota medical facility for treatment.

Gillispie is on indefinite sick leave, and Hocutt said he is no longer making day-to-day decisions for the basketball program so he can focus on his health.

Kiraly takes over as
US women’s volleyball coach

Karch Kiraly, one of the most decorated volleyball players of all time, has been chosen as head coach of the U.S. women’s national volleyball team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Games.

Kiraly, the only athlete to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball, takes over for Hugh McCutcheon, who led the women’s team to a silver-medal finish at the London Olympics.

McCutcheon, who also coached the men’s national team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing games, has moved on as coach of the women’s team at the University of Minnesota. Kiraly was an assistant coach under McCutcheon for the quadrennial leading up to London.

“I’m so excited to be able to continue the great work we’ve done the last four years. I’ve gotten to work under a great friend and a great mentor in Hugh McCutcheon. … We hope to continue that wonderful momentum that went right on through a really tremendous Olympic games, a tremendous tournament that ended on a bit of a down note losing in the gold medal match, but a great accomplishment,” Kiraly said Tuesday. “Two silver medals in a row now for the USA women, a hallmark of consistency. And I hope to continue that.”

Orioles add OFs Chavez,
Hoes; designate RHP Gregg

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles purchased the contracts of outfielders Endy Chavez and L.J. Hoes from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday and designated veteran reliever Kevin Gregg and infielder Ryan Adams for assignment.

Chavez and Hoes replaced Gregg and Adams on the 40-man roster.

Chavez hit .190 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 47 games with the Orioles earlier this season. Hoes has not played in the majors.

Gregg went 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA in 40 appearances with Baltimore this season. He signed a two-year contract in January 2011 to be the team’s closer, and although he had 22 saves last year, the right-hander lost the job to Jim Johnson during spring training.

After getting off to a shaky start in April, Gregg ultimately ended up as odd man out in a bullpen filled with effective pitchers.

Gregg appeared in two games in September, including Sunday, when he gave up four runs in one inning against the New York Yankees.

Reports: Harvard captain
to withdraw from school

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard basketball co-captain Kyle Casey plans to withdraw from school amid a cheating scandal that also may involve other athletes, according to several reports.

Sports Illustrated and the Harvard Crimson reported Tuesday that Casey, a senior, would take a leave of absence from school in an attempt to preserve a year of eligibility once the issue is resolved.

Co-captain Brandyn Curry also has been implicated in the scandal and is weighing his options, his father told the magazine. The Boston Herald reported Curry also is expected to withdraw from classes.

The school is looking into whether at least 125 undergraduates in what has been reported to be an Introduction to Congress class of about 280 students cheated by working together on a take-home final exam in the spring.

School officials have declined to release the students’ names.

NHL and union plan
to meet today in NYC

NEW YORK — The NHL and the players’ association will resume negotiations today in an effort to avoid a lockout this weekend.

After not meeting face to face since last Friday, the sides planned to get together at the league office in New York before the NHLPA holds player meetings later today.

The NHL board of governors will convene on Thursday with Commissioner Gary Bettman, while the union holds a second day of discussions with as many as 250 players.

The hastily scheduled negotiating session for today came just hours after NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said owners and players were both to blame for their failure to reach a new collective bargaining agreement before current deal expires on Saturday.

Daly wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he hoped both sides would meet before Saturday, but he didn’t sound optimistic it would happen.

Top-seeded Niculescu out
in 1st round at Tashkent

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Top-seeded Monica Niculescu of Romania was knocked out in the first round of the Tashkent Open on Tuesday, falling 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to 135th-ranked Karin Knapp of Italy.

Niculescu, who also lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, looked in control after the first set but was broken in the eighth game of the second.

She then lost the final three games of the decider.

Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic upset fourth-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 7-6 (3), 6-3, and Russian qualifier Anna Chakvetadze defeated Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3.

Eighth-seeded Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan rallied from a set down to beat Vesna Dolonc of Serbia, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

By wire sources