Tars win volleyball’s Battle of the Bay
CORONA DEL MAR - They sit back and almost dare you to make it
close, giving fans an extra thrill and providing Coach Dan Glenn with an
added panic attack.
Newport Harbor High’s Sailors, showing why they’re the top-ranked
girls volleyball team in CIF Southern Section Division I-AA, did not get
caught up in the moment Friday night in the fifth game when it was tied,
12-12.
Instead, the Tars calmly took charge of the Back Bay rivalry and
defeated host Corona del Mar in a rousing nonleague match, 15-13, 16-18,
15-7, 8-15, 15-12.
“Our kids are pretty good about that,” Glenn said, referring to his
team’s equanimity in crunch time. “They don’t panic when it’s close at
the end. Sometimes I wish they’d panic a little more ... I’m the only one
panicking.”
After getting the serve back in the final game, Newport Harbor senior
Lisa Addeo, a 5-foot-10 middle blocker who finished as one of five
Sailors to reach double figures in kills, administered a block high at
the net to give Glenn’s squad a 13-12 edge.
Newport Harbor, which came from two games down to beat Corona del Mar
on Oct. 23, kept the serve the rest of the game as Erin Haller closed out
the victory.
Duke-bound Krista Dill, a 6-2 middle blocker for the Tars, ripped one
through the middle for a kill on a first-touch return to give the
visitors a 14-12 lead, then Addeo and Taylor Govaars combined to block a
CdM spike attempt and conclude the match.
“We had our opportunities, but I think (the Sailors) had a little more
composure at the end of the fifth game,” CdM Coach Steve Conti said. “I
felt we panicked a little on a couple of plays. But our girls put it all
out on the floor, and that’s what it’s all about. Our girls should be
proud of their efforts. It was a typical Newport-Corona Back Bay
volleyball rivalry.”
Both teams will enter the CIF playoffs next week, and both are
expected to go far in the postseason. CdM (13-5) won the CIF Division
III-AA championship two years ago and reached the semifinals last year.
“They play hard and they should do real well in CIF,” Glenn said of
the Sea Kings. “I’m just glad we don’t have to play them again (this
year). They’re a solid team and they play great defense. I like their
chances of becoming CIF champions.”
Newport Harbor (16-1), coming off last weekend’s triumph at the Santa
Barbara Tournament of Champions, enjoyed great balance in hitting as
April Ross (20 kills), Heather Cullen (14), Addeo (13), Brenda Waterman
(12) and Dill (10) all recorded kills in double digits. Haller added
eight kills, while Addeo had five blocks and Dill three blocks.
CdM, which won an unforgettable second game, 18-16, was led by senior
outside hitter Dimitra Havriluk, who finished with a match-high 32 kills
and 27 digs. Jamie Brownell, also a senior outside hitter, had 24 kills,
24 digs and five service aces, while senior Meghan Gallagher ended with
20 kills and three blocks. Senior Marissa Becker had 19 digs, 14 assists
and two aces.
“I’m real proud of how those four seniors played,” Conti said. “Those
four seniors are the backbone of our team and they’ll be the backbone of
our team in the playoffs.”
Sophomore setter Jacqueline Becker had 61 assists for the Sea Kings,
champions of the Pacific Coast League.
The first game featured five ties, the last one at 13-13, as CdM
hitting errors helped Newport Harbor win. Dill had five kills in that
game.
Havriluk led CdM in the second game with seven kills. The Tars were
serving for the game at 14-13 and 16-15, but CdM rallied both times, then
prevailed.
Newport Harbor built leads in the third game of 8-4 and 14-6 to win
easily, but the Sea Kings tied the match in the fourth game behind
Havriluk, Brownell and Tracy Brown, whose ace gave them a 14-7 lead.
In the fifth, Newport Harbor had a 9-4 advantage, but Corona del Mar
fought back. After Harbor went ahead, 11-9, Havriluk rolled off five
straight kills for CdM, two for points. Harbor’s overall pose, however,
was too much for CdM.
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