Three-timers!

Roger Carlson

CYPRESS - Veteran Mira Costa High girls volleyball coach Dae Lea

Aldrich vowed the crowd of 2,200 at Cypress College Saturday night “would

see great volleyball,” and Newport Harbor High’s Sailors didn’t let

anyone down.

Coach Dan Glenn’s Sea View League champions took heralded Mira Costa

apart in a span of just 83 minutes en route to a 15-4, 15-8, 15-9 crusher

to claim their third straight CIF Division I-AA championship, a feat

unmatched by anyone in the history of the Southern California high school

girls volleyball.

Billed as a classic matchup of power and tower (Newport Harbor) against

the finesse and savvy of Mira Costa, it was instead a showcase of all of

those traits belonging to Glenn and his girls.

Senior April Ross was the key figure with her 21 kills.

“We were excited about this,” said the USC-bound Ross. “We knew we had

the upper hand. This was the third time our seniors were here and we’ve

been preparing the whole week for them.”

The Sailors presented beautiful long-stemmed yellow roses for the green

and gold of Mira Costa, then took the floor and paraded themselves from

start to finish with a championship flourish.

While Ross took center stage as the queen of the court with her

near-flawless performance, the killing factor for Glenn was Ross’ court

of princesses - Krista Dill, Heather Cullen, Brenda Waterman, Lisa Addeo,

Katie King, Jennifer Sandro, Andrea Schutz, Taylor Govaars and Signe

Hillyard.

Whatever notion that Mira Costa (23-3) held the upper hand in court

savvy, i.e. passing and digging abilities, was put to rest in no time at

all.

Harbor ran off a 10-point run in the first game to take a 10-1 lead, with

Cullen’s kill off a King set the finishing touch.

It was 7-1, Harbor, in the second game before Mira Costa could collect

its breath, with King’s kill off an Addeo set running the lead to 12-5.

Only in the third game did the Sailors show some form of human traits

as Mira Costa battled for a long while as the Sailors slowly built a 6-2

edge.

Mira Costa pulled to within 10-8 with a sense of hope, but then the

Sailors returned to their robo-ways.

Ross buried one to make it 11-8, then Dill, the 6-foot-2 middle blcoker

headed for Duke, tapped off King’s set.

Four sideouts would follow with Ross (twice) Cullen and Addeo frustrating

Mira Costa to set up the final flurry, a Waterman’s tap which left the

Mustangs sprawled on the court, a Mira Costa miscue, then fittingly, Ross

smashing the ball across the net for the game-winner.

“They just outplayed us,” said Mira Costa’s coach. “We have to accept

that. Newport Harbor just played real well and April was in control.”

Glenn said he was surprised it went as smoothly as it did.

“I thought we had the advantage with our size and serving tough, I didn’t

think they could stop us,” said Glenn. “But I thought it was going to be

a lot closer. We had five seniors in their third CIF Finals, and we

really did play very solid.”

In addition to Ross’ 21 kills and 16 digs, Cullen (15 kills, 3 blocks),

Dill (13 kills, 5 blocks) and Waterman (7 kills, 13 digs) added an

overwhelming display of superiority.

King was credited with 50 assists.

The victory assured the Sailors (33-2) of the home court advantage in the

State Playoffs, which begin Tuesday. And for Glenn, whose Sailors have

reigned as Division 1-AA champions four times in the past six years, that

seemed to the rose he was searching for. Poway (25-6) visits at 7 p.m.).

Three CIF Division I-AA championships in a row? Right now, that’s just a

little gravy for the main course.

Newport Harbor High’s 1999 CIF Division I-AA Champions

Signe Hillyard, Sr.

Lisa Addeo, Sr.

Elizabeth Lord, So.

Brenda Waterman, Sr.

Shannon Backus, Sr.

Jennifer Sandro, Sr.

Andrea Schutz, Sr.

Heather Cullen, Jr.

Erin Haller, Sr.

Colby George, Jr.

Taylor Govaars, Jr.

Katie King, So.

April Ross, Sr.

Claire Allen, Fr.

Kristen McClune, Fr.

Krista Dill, Sr.

Coach: Dan Glenn

Assistants: Eric Olson, Sacha Caldemeyer