CdM wins again

Joseph Boo

LAGUNA BEACH - This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Laguna Beach High’s girls volleyball team has ruled the Pacific Coast

League for most of the decade, but newcomer Corona del Mar has yet to be

impressed, or humbled.

After breaking Laguna Beach’s league winning streak that went over 100

games, CdM swept Laguna Beach for the season in another dramatic

five-game match, 10-15, 15-7, 7-15, 15-12, 15-6 to take the inside lane

to the PCL championship.

Like the previous match, this one had its fill of great plays, long

rallies and colorful moments. No moment was more colorful, or critical

than game four.

With Laguna Beach up 2-1, CdM took a 9-5 lead which was whittled down to

11-9. On a CdM serve, an overlap was called. CdM Coach Steve Conti had

some words with the referee, and a red card was issued, closing CdM’s

lead to 11-10.

“She called an overlap, and then she changed what kind of overlap it

was,” Conti said. “I didn’t get an explanation, and my back was to the

ref when the yellow was handed out, so I didn’t see it. I kept asking

nicely what kind of overlap it was, and I got it after the red.”

Laguna Beach seemingly carried that momentum to a 12-11 lead. But instead

of folding, the Sea Kings responded. Meghan Gallagher got a kill to tie

the game. After exchanging sideouts, CdM had a 13-12 lead. Jacqueline

Becker then served an ace, and Laguna Beach hit a ball that went around

the net, and CdM pulled out game four.

“We showed that we can be feisty,” Conti said. “We showed a lot of fight

out there.”

It was the Artists who showed a lot of fight in the first game. CdM took

a quick 10-5 lead with six kills from Dimitra Havriluk. But Laguna Beach

scored 10 points in a row to win behind five kills from Laura-Lee Neptune

and four blocks from Sara Salem.

“If there’s a lesson to be learned in that first game, it’s that we have

to play up on the good teams at all times. Laguna Beach showed that a

good team can come back and win. We were up 10-5 and we backed off.”

The Sea Kings came back and won the second game 15-7 with six kills each

from Havriluk and Gallagher. But Laguna Beach won game three easily, with

Maggie Mallorian dishing out 14 of her 39 assists and contributing four

digs.

Then came game four, where Laguna Beach could have closed out CdM after

the 12-11 lead but couldn’t. And CdM again took advantage by winning the

decisive fifth game 15-6. while it didn’t come down to the wire, it was a

long and hard fought match.

After being down 3-0, CdM came back and scored seven points in a row. It

was benefited by a replay call, as Laguna Beach protested that a CdM

player touched the net. The Artists closed it to 7-5, but CdM extended

the lead again to 10-5 behind two aces from Marissa Becker.

Twenty-two sideouts spaced out CdM extending the lead to 14-6. After two

more sideouts, CdM regained the serve on a excruciatingly long volley,

the ball crossing the net 10 times. Gallagher finally got the kill, and

Havriluk pounded a spike to close out another hard-fought win.

“(CdM) gets better in fifth games,” Laguna Beach Coach Shawn Patchell

said. “We got a little tentative, we got easy to read, and they won most

of the long rallies.”

“That 14th point at the end was something,” Conti said. “You have to be

able to win long points. When we were winning long rallies, that’s when

you saw things go our way.”

Havriluk ended up with 30 kills and 21 digs in the game, and Gallagher

had 19 assists. Jamie Brownell also had a fine defensive effort with 29

digs. Jacqueline Becker had 50 assists and six aces, and Marissa Becker

contributed with 13 assists, 18 digs and three aces.Afterward, Patchell

was disappointed with the loss, but it also left him wanting.

“I thought we were ready to take them in three or four games,” he said.

“But obviously we didn’t. I would sure like to play CdM again though, and

get another crack at them. Unfortunately we’re in different CIF

Divisions.”

Instead, Patchell will have to look to more PCL battles next year.