Sailors happily home

While the Newport Harbor High girls’ volleyball team went through warm-up drills last week at Cypress College, several Los Alamitos fans heckled the players.

With the Newport Harbor boys’ water polo team playing for the CIF Southern Section Division I title in Irvine, the Sailors’ fans were split between the two spots Saturday night. It was clear that Los Al’s following outmanned Newport Harbor’s early on at Cypress College.

Coach Dan Glenn used the teasing as motivation for his players. But the Sailors’ head man won’t mind using the fans’ support for momentum tonight. Huntington Beach visits Newport Harbor’s Ralph Reed Gymnasium for a CIF Division I Southern California Regional semifinal that starts at 7.

Glenn expects the Oilers to bring a large crowd, but a home match will be nice nonetheless, he said.

With it being a holiday weekend, and with the college football game between USC and UCLA being played at the same time, Glenn is unsure of what the crowd will be like.

“I don’t think it’s a huge advantage for this one,” Glenn said of the home crowd. “But I’m really excited to have the home match. This is potentially our last home match. I can’t see Clovis West upsetting Dos Pueblos [in the other semifinal]. So we believe whatever happens it will be the last time we play in the gym this year. I’m sure [the Newport Harbor seniors will] be pretty fired up about that.”

The Sailors (30-6), the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA champions, are also excited about the matchup. They beat the Oilers, 25-22, 25-12, 30-21, 25-22, Sept. 22 in a nonleague match at Huntington Beach.

But the Oilers (19-12) are coming off their biggest win of the season. Just three days after being swept in the CIF Southern Section Division I-A final, Huntington Beach scored a five-game upset at La Costa Canyon to open the state playoffs. It was the first time the defending state champion had lost in its own gym in two years.

The Oilers also have two other big wins this season, winning at Marymount and beating Santa Barbara, two of the better teams in the state.

Glenn knows plenty about Oiler pride. He’s a Huntington Beach alumnus. But he’s more concerned with what’s going on the court.

Senior Kellie Turner, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, and 6-6 senior middle blocker Haleigh Hampton are threats.

Newport answers with seniors Kirby Burnham, a 6-2 outside hitter, Katey Thompson, a 6-1 middle blocker, and junior Maddy Brown, a 6-1 junior outside hitter.

“We’ve got to make sure we try to dictate the pace of the match,” Glenn said. “They’re going to try to dig and outlast you. If we play at their pace we’re going to be in trouble.”