Handball Ace Finishes Second, Receives All American Honors

Crimson handball ace Danny Acosta received All-America honors for the third straight year following his second-place finish in the NCAA Championship Tournament, this weekend at the University of Texas in Austin.

In the tournament final, Acosta, a senior, fell to Pat Keefe of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. Keefe, a former National Juniors Champion, came from behind to gain a 21-14 victory in the first game of the match--the Harvard star's first loss of the tournament.

Acosta came back with a 21-15 win in the second game as his change in strategy caught Keefe by surprise. Playing a slower game, Acosta foiled Keefe's attempts to overpower him. Often Keefe just nicked the ball instead of using his put-away.

In the tiebreaking game, the two players fought to a 2-2 tie before Acosta nailed four straight points to take the lead. Acosta then committed a series of crucial mental errors which proved to be fatal. Keefe leapt at the opportunities and went on to post an 11-7 win, taking the match and the championship.

"I set him up for a couple of killshots, then became overly cautious and didn't take the chances I should have," Acosta said yesterday.

In Saturday's quarterfinal match, the Crimson ace scored a victory over the number four seed, Craig Burbage, in tense 21-9 and 21-14 contests. The glass exhibit court was an unfamiliar setting for Acosta, and he adjusted well despite the problems with bounce and concentration lapses that these courts create.

Death at the Wall

"I was able to pass Burbage forcing the ball to hug the wall and die before it could reach the back wall," Acosta said.

In his semifinal match against the number-one seed, Carl Libis, Acosta scored 21-10 and 21-16 voctories by outrunning the Cal State, Northridge star. Despite Libis's aggressive shot returns Acosta effectively killed the ball with both hands.

"It was nice to do so well in Texas which is my home state and especially at the University of Texas where I was heavily recruited," Acosta said.