Metro Sports Report

Ellie Anderson wins Metro Spotlight Award

Linn-Mar sophomore Ellie Anderson is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Anderson was selected to compete at the prestigious USA Volleyball High Performance Championships in Tulsa, Okla., July 22-26. Only 33 girls from the entire country were selected for the event.

Anderson participated at the USA Level, which is the highest level for high school players in USA Volleyball. This was the third straight year she was invited to compete.

Anderson was the starting setter for the Linn-Mar volleyball team last season as a freshman. She collected 379 assists, 143 digs and 41 kills. She also connected on 96 percent of her serves (285 or 297) and had 14 aces.

The Lions finished with a 23-15 record last year.

Anderson also competes for the Six Pack Volleyball Club of Cedar Falls.

Kernels tumble in 15 without Mauer

Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer left for the Twin Cities before the Cedar Rapids Kernels took the field Sunday, but Minnesota pitcher Ricky Nolasco still had some unfinished rehab business of his own this weekend.

Chances are, even Nolasco, who left the game with two outs in the sixth inning, was nearing home by the time the Kane County Cougars finished off the Kernels, 7-4, in the 15th inning in a game that lasted an even five hours.

Nolasco surrendered three runs to the Cougars on seven hits.

After throwing two shutout innings in the 13th and 14th innings, Chris Mazza (3-3) took the loss when he gave up three runs in the 15th.

The Kernels could muster just two hits in 13 opportunities with runners in scoring position, something Manager Jake Mauer was disappointed with after the game.

Jordan Even wins Metro Spotlight Award

Xavier senior Jordan Even is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Even captured the Pribyl Rotary junior golf title this past week with a 72-hole score of 297 for a two-stroke victory.

Even played steady golf all week with rounds of 75, 74, 74 and 74 at four different courses, including the final round at Elmcrest Country Club on Friday.

Even competed in the Class 4A state tournament last fall with the Xavier Saints. He hopes to play golf in college, but has not made a decision.

The Class 4A high school golf season begins Thursday with the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet at Gates Park in Waterloo.

Burdi gets a save and his jersey (for $500)

Cedar Rapids pitcher Nick Burdi wanted a souvenir of his summer with the Kernels, so he asked his girlfriend to bid on the special Hawaiian jersey he wore during Saturday night's game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

It reportedly cost $500 for his girlfriend to submit the winning bid during the silent auction, but Burdi figured it was worth it.

The 6-foot-5 flamethrower collected his fourth save by tossing a scoreless ninth inning as the Kernels trimmed Kane County, 3-2, before a season-high crowd of 5,570 fans on Jimmy Buffett Night and Hawaiian Jersey Night at the ballpark.

Burdi got the save and the shirt.