<strong><span class="subhead">Safin extends career</span></strong></p><p><strong>Marat Safin</strong> (right) extended his career by at least one more round, saving three match points Monday and beating French qualifier <strong>Thierry Ascione</strong> 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) at the Paris Masters.</p><p>Safin, a 29-year-old Russian who is a three-time winner in Paris, plans to retire after this tournament. He will face U.S. Open champion <strong>Juan Martin Del Potro</strong> of Argentina in the second round.</p><p>&ldquo;The way he is playing right now, I don&rsquo;t think I have a chance,&rdquo; Safin said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to fight 100 percent. But to win it? I&rsquo;m not sure.&rdquo;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Colleges: Wildcat honored</span></strong></p><p>&bull;Kansas State libero <strong>Lauren Mathewson</strong> received her first Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week award Monday after her record performance against No. 23 Texas A&M. Mathewson set a school record for digs in a match with 41 in the upset victory over the Aggies on Wednesday. She followed that performance with 19 digs and three aces in a win over Texas Tech. </p><p>&bull;UMKC volleyball player <strong>Christiana McQuin</strong> was chosen The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week. McQuin posted a career-high-tying nine blocks against Centenary, while adding eight more in the win over Oral Roberts. In the Kangaroos&rsquo; two wins last week, McQuin, a Wellington, Kan., native, totaled 20 kills and seven digs to go along with her 17 blocks. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">NHL&rsquo;s new Hall of Famers</span></strong></p><p>The NHL Hall of Fame induction was Monday night in Toronto, and players <strong>Brett Hull</strong>, <strong>Brian Leetch</strong>, <strong>Luc Robitaille</strong> and <strong>Steve Yzerman</strong> were honored, along with New Jersey Devils executive <strong>Lou Lamoriello</strong>.</p><p>&ldquo;I accept this honor for all those playing pickup, beer league and senior hockey, who never got the opportunity that I did,&rdquo; Hull said. &ldquo;For every mom up at 5 who drives to practice, and every dad working overtime to buy equipment and a pair of tickets to take his kids to an NHL game. Every teammate that sacrificed, every trainer that patched me up and every stick boy who brought me a cold one after the game. </p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re supposed to be here celebrating what I did in this game. But I want to talk about what this game gave to me. That&rsquo;s everything, and more than I could ever dream of.&rdquo; </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Lawrence Taylor arrested</span></strong></p><p>Former football star <strong>Lawrence Taylor</strong> was released on bond after his arrest in a Miami-area traffic accident. According to Miami-Dade County jail records, Taylor was charged Sunday with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was released on $500 bond later that night. It was not immediately clear whether Taylor has an attorney.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Worth noting</span></strong></p><p>&bull;The Missouri Mavericks signed forward <strong>Jeff MacDermid</strong> and waived defenseman <strong>Nathan Schwartzbauer</strong>. MacDermid, 25, played the first four games of the season with the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and notched one goal.</p><p>&bull;<strong>Nancy Popek</strong> of Lenexa and <strong>Angie Popek</strong> of San Francisco won the USTA National Senior Mother/Daughter Hardcourt Tournament in Houston. </p><p>&bull;<strong>Joey Chestnut</strong> maintained his dominance in the sport of competitive eating &mdash; and expanded his palate &mdash; by winning the first-ever Martorano&rsquo;s Masters Meatball Eating Championship in Las Vegas. Chestnut gobbled 50 meatballs in 10 minutes Sunday.