CdM takes league lead

IRVINE — Coach Darryl Gan said nothing to fire up his Corona del Mar High girls’ volleyball team before Tuesday’s match.

There was no need for a pep talk to get up and play Beckman.

In a battle between two Pacific Coast League unbeatens, the Sea Kings entered the gym confident. They left with their heads up.

CdM traveled to Beckman and prevailed, 25-14, 21-25, 25-16, 25-16, closing out the first half of league on top. The defending league champions returned to the site where they suffered their lone league loss last year.

The Sea Kings (14-3, 5-0 in league) made sure they didn’t fall again at Beckman (19-6, 4-1).

CdM, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA coaches’ poll, won its sixth straight match and third straight against the No. 5-ranked Patriots.

The previous three times these two programs competed against each other, the match went the distance. Beckman Coach Darin McBain expected another battle, like the one in the semifinals of the playoffs last year and the two league matches that year.

The fight and fifth game never came for the Patriots.

Junior Morgan Boukather helped the Sea Kings close out the match, recording four of her team-high 13 kills in the fourth game.

The key to CdM’s success was the passing by Madie Smith (40 assists), the balanced offensive attack featuring Boukather, Hailey Senske (11 kills) and Claire Ham (10 kills), the serving by Amanda Nickel (five aces) and making the Patriots one-dimensional.

When no one other than senior-sensation Lydia Bai got involved, Beckman’s offense sputtered. Along the way, the Patriots lost their intensity, the one that carried them last year to their first victory against CdM in the program’s history.

“It’s tough to get fired up when we’re not passing the ball well,” McBain said. “If we pass the ball well and we can distribute to three or four different hitters, then we’re a tough team to beat.

“Our passing let us down.”

The same couldn’t be said for the Sea Kings’ passing. Smith continued to set the offense up for winners.

After dropping Game 2, CdM got back on track.

The Sea Kings went on a 13-2 run, taking control of the third game as Nickel served well. The advantage grew as large as 17-8.

The fourth game turned out the same.

CdM took a 17-8 lead after Senske and Boukather hammered away and Boukather dropped in an ace.

“I thought our focus was better,” Gan said of the latest match against Beckman. “I thought we focused, even though we had at times pretty big leads. Our serves were good and defensively we picked up a lot of balls [and were led by Katelyn Baker’s 10 digs].

“Beckman is a good team.”

In the first showdown against the Patriots, the Sea Kings showed they’re more than good.