IN BRIEF

TENNIS

Federer rallies past Murray, secures year-end top ranking

Roger Federer again bounced back after losing the first set, rallying to beat Andy Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 Tuesday at the ATP World Tour Finals and ensuring he will have the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth time.

Federer dominated Murray in the final two sets, finally controlling play from his serve.

Federer, who has two wins from two matches in Group A and is favored to reach the semifinals at the season-ending tournament, still has to play Juan Martin del Potro in the round-robin stage. Del Potro beat Federer in the U.S. Open final.

Del Potro held on to beat Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1), giving him a chance to reach the semifinals.

Because of Federer's win, he cannot be overtaken by second-ranked Rafael Nadal, who lost to Robin Soderling on Monday in his first Group B match.

UNLV

Sophomore Jackson named to All-MWC volleyball team

UNLV volleyball player Cursty Jackson was named to the All-Mountain West Conference team in a vote of the league's nine head coaches.

Jackson, the MWC's freshman of the year last season, leads the Rebels with 298 kills and 88 total blocks (71 assisted, 17 solo) in 25 matches.

Colorado State's Danielle Minch was named player of the year, and Rams coach Tom Hilbert was named coach of the year.

Also: The UNLV women's basketball team signed three players to national letters of intent, and they will join the team for the 2010-11 season.

Forward Ta'Nitra Byrd of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High is rated the country's 34th-best forward by ESPN/Hoopgurlz. Guard Rmanni Haynes of Taft (Calif.) High is already a two-time All-California Interscholastic Federation first-team honoree. Forward/center LaTia Morrison, in her second year at Pima (Ariz.) Junior College, led her squad to a 24-5 record and No. 3 national ranking last year.

UNLV's Eddie Olson took 22nd in the 32-player College All-America Golf Classic in El Paso, Texas.

Olson shot 4-over-par 75 in the final round for a 4-over 217 total in the event featuring 32 All-Americans from last season. Alabama's Hunter Hamrick won the tournament, beating Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffman on the first playoff hole after both finished at 11-under 202.

UNLV's Steven Nelms was named the MWC men's swimmer of the week, after winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and swimming on four winning relay teams at the Cougar Classic in Houston.

MISCELLANEOUS

Baylor's Griner seventh woman to dunk in college game

Baylor freshman sensation Brittney Griner took a lob pass inside with no one around her, turned and became the seventh woman to dunk in a college game with her one-handed slam in the eight-ranked Lady Bears' 104-45 victory over Jacksonville State in Waco, Texas.

On a set play about five minutes into the game, the 6-foot-8-inch Griner took a pass from Kelli Griffin on the right and dunked with her right hand. By then, the Lady Bears (3-1) already had a 17-3 lead.

The last collegiate female to dunk was Tennessee's Candace Parker on Feb. 3, 2008, against Kentucky. Parker had seven dunks in her college career and is the only woman with two in a game.

Also: The Mets are switching their home pinstriped uniforms to a retro design with a natural color similar to what they wore when they won the 1969 World Series.

The team said it will continue to also wear white uniforms at home and use black jerseys as an alternate.

Fans criticized the team last year, saying Citi Field honored the Mets' history too little. The team said last weekend it will rename the first base VIP entrance after former manager Gil Hodges.

It also will rename the third base VIP entrance after Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver and will call an area behind right field the Shea Bridge after William Shea, the lawyer who helped bring National League ball back to New York after the Dodgers and Giants left.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo will make his return from a long injury layoff today when host Real Madrid plays FC Zurich in a Champions League match. The Portugal winger has been out since Oct. 10 because of an ankle injury.

Ottawa Senators starting goaltender Pascal Leclaire will be sidelined about a month with a broken cheekbone.