Tars win Dave Mohs Tournament crown

Joseph Boo

HUNTINGTON BEACH - After a timeout, Newport Harbor High’s girls

volleyball team walked out of the huddle with a big cry of defense. A

couple of players paused though and realized they were on offense.

Defense was what was on the Sailor’s mind throughout the match, and a

sharp one keyed a 15-8, 15-6 victory over Calvary Chapel in the Dave Mohs

Memorial Tournament championship match Monday night at Edison High.

With long rallies forced by the Eagles in the first game, the Sailors

depended on numerous digs and seven blocks from Krista Dill to pull it

out. The second game went more smoothly for Newport Harbor, as it got

eight kills from April Ross and seven from Heather Cullen.

“We played very well,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “At the

start, Calvary was playing great. We weren’t scoring, but we were playing

good. In the second game, we served very well. Calvary is the best

serving team in the area, and I told my team to try to match them. I

thought we were almost as good, if not, equal with them.”

Calvary Chapel’s serving was evident from the start. The Eagles jumped

out to an early 2-6 lead in the first game behind aces from Brooke Kuhn

and Halina Staniland. Tough serves also forced bad hits from Newport

Harbor’s side in the run.

After the early deficit, the Sailors started to rally. Dill put up two

quick blocks and a kill to trigger a 6-0 Newport Harbor run. Calvary

Chapel rallied to tie the game at eight with two more serves that forced

bad hits. Then Ross picked up her game with three quick kills, and the

Sailors closed out the game with a 7-0 run.

“We gave them a few string of points,” Calvary Chapel Coach Jim Downey

said. “A lot of that is credited to Ross. She just took over later.”

Newport Harbor started winning more of the long rallies as the game went

on. In the first game, Dill single-handedly put up a defensive wall. In

the second game, Newport Harbor was able to get all its blockers in

better position for blocks or altered shots.

“We lucked out on ball control,” Downey said, “and then we got

predictable. Their height started to take over the game. They played

tough defense at the net and away.”

The blocks weren’t the only part of Newport Harbor’s defense. The Sailors

were a lot more dependent on digs in the second game. Andrea Schutz came

in and provided three tough digs to force rallies that Newport Harbor

eventually won. And Ross was even more dangerous on the ground as she had

a game-high seven digs in the second.

“That’s what we were primarily concerned with because we knew they were

going to dig a lot of balls,” Ross said. “We’ve been working on that.”

“Everybody talks about April’s hitting,” Glenn said. “But probably the

best thing she does is pass.”

To help out sophomore setter Katie King, Newport Harbor had Brenda

Waterman and Ross pass digs to her. After a relatively quiet first game,

though she did get five digs, King obliged in the second game with 19

assists.

With King finding her rhythm, Newport Harbor’s offense was imposing.

Besides the kills from Ross and Cullen, Brenda Waterman had three crucial

kills in the middle of the game to trigger an 8-0 run by the Sailors.

Despite three aces from Christi Kimmel, the Sailors put the second game

away 15-6.

With the win, the Sailors achieved the only goal that eluded them last

year as they lost in the Dave Moh final to Valley Christian.

“We came in here really focused,” Dill said. “Last year was not how we

wanted to finish.”

“We didn’t play too well against Laguna Beach on Friday,” Ross said.

“Then on Saturday, we played very well, especially against Bishop

Montgomery. Tonight was just dessert. Calvary Chapel was awesome though.

We knew they were going to serve tough, and they played well.”

After the tournament, Ross won the tournament MVP award and made the

all-tournament team. Dill and Waterman were also named to the team.

“I disagree with the MVP award,” Ross said. “It’s impossible to play well

without your teammates.”