Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball sweeps Edison for outright Wave League crown
A resurgent season for the Newport Harbor High School girls’ volleyball team reached a new goal Tuesday, as the host Sailors swept Edison 25-20, 25-15, 25-18 to win the outright Wave League title.
Quinn Perry had a team-high 13 kills to go with seven digs and two block assists for Newport Harbor (24-7, 6-0), which is having its first winning season since posting an 18-10 record in 2012. The Sailors also went 14-14 overall in 2014, when Newport Harbor dropped its playoff opener to Los Angeles Marymount.
Newport Harbor won its first league championship since it shared the Wave League title with Laguna Beach in 2018.
Gabbi Higgs had six kills and two block assists for the Sailors. Anne O’Brien added three kills and three total blocks. Emma Fults had seven kills, and Emma Coatsworth and Anabel Kotzakov each had five kills.
Kate Bland provided 20 assists, and Tegan Glenn distributed 10 assists for Newport Harbor.
Newport Harbor, which is the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 poll, will renew its crosstown rivalry with Corona del Mar on the road Thursday, and then the Sailors will find out the path ahead for their championship aspirations with the release of the CIF Southern Section girls’ volleyball playoff pairings on Saturday at 10 a.m.
“I think that we are going to make it as tough as we can,” Perry said of heading into the Division 3 playoffs. “I think it is going to be up to us to make it how difficult it’s going to be, and I think that’s just how we come out in the beginning of a match.”
The Sailors have a number of multi-sport athletes. Bland, Coatsworth and Fults were all part of a championship run for the Newport Harbor girls’ basketball team in Division 4A last season.
Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball coach Andrew Mabry said he believes that trio has taken that success and provided a “sense of calm to a competitive situation” for the Sailors.
“Those three have been part of the leadership model that is in place with our team, that talks about wanting to go after this and wanting to do everything we can to create some of those memories,” Mabry said. “I definitely think you pull something from that.”
Adia McCown paced Edison (17-16, 4-2) with six kills. The Chargers also got 14 assists from Ashley Finch and three blocks from Natalia Brandlin.
Edison coach Colleen Burke said the Chargers have a group of players that, by and large, picked up their first varsity playing time this season.
The Chargers missed an opportunity to earn a share of the Wave League championship, but the Division 3 playoffs offer another chance to gain valuable experience.
“The girls are hungry, and they’re continuously getting better,” Burke said. “They’re trusting the process of how to get ready for late October and early November volleyball.”
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