Girls volleyball: The Rematch

Tony Altobelli

CYPRESS - For the second time in three contests, Newport Harbor

High girls volleyball team will face such words as “rematch” and

“revenge” and “payback”.

This time, the Sailors are on the receiving end of those jabs, though

Lincoln Coach Bret Alman-Cezar doesn’t believe it.

“We had to beat our arch rivals, who beat us twice earlier this

season, just to make to the finals,” Cezar said. “So we just wanted to

make to the finals. It just so happened that we’re playing Newport

again.”

After getting the last laugh and avenging an earlier loss by sweeping

Mater Dei two matches ago, the Sailors will be the ones with bull’s-eyes

on their uniforms when Stockton’s Lincoln High looks for some sweet

revenge in the CIF Division I State Championship tonight at 7 at Cypress

College.

After hardly breaking a sweat through a majority of the playoffs this

year, the Sailors (36-2) ranked No. 1 in the state, were pushed to a

five-game thriller against Bullard High of Fresno, 7-15, 15-9, 15-10, 12-15, 15-7, for the Southern California championships.

That five-game push might have been the perfect wake-up call for Coach

Dan Glenn’s crew.

The Trojans (33-5) defeated St. Mary’s of Stockton, 15-10, 15-3,

14-16, 15-10, to claim the Northern California crown.

Leading the Trojans back for a rematch is three-time All-CIF outside

hitter, senior Suzanne Escobar.

The senior led the Trojans’ attack with 24 kills in their win over St.

Mary’s. She had 19 kills in last year’s state title matchup with the

Sailors and was named to the all-tournament team.

Fellow senior Julie Erbez leads the passing attack for the Trojans.

She had 71 assists in the win over St. Mary’s and was also an

all-tournament selection a year ago.

If last year was any indication of what lies in store for tonight, the

Tars-Trojans rematch should be one for the ages.

In the 126-minute, 147-sideout heartstopper last year, the Sailors

outlasted the Trojans, 15-11, 16-18, 15-5, 19-17.

Perhaps a bigger driving force working in the Sailors’ favor is making

history.

Newport Harbor is looking to win its second straight state title, the

third in six years and fourth in school history.

For seniors April Ross, Krista Dill, Erin Haller, Andrea Schutz,

Jennifer Sandro, Shannon Backus, Brenda Waterman, Lisa Addeo and Signe

Hillyard, they play their last match together at Newport Harbor and Glenn

knows how important it is for them to walk off the court as winners.

In the finals’ matchup against the Trojans, Ross had 26 kills and 27

digs, while Dill added 13 kills, eight digs and four blocked shots.

“I tell everyone that volleyball is a game of X’s and O’s and I tell

you Newport’s X’s are a lot bigger than our O’s,” Cezar said. “We know we

can sideout forever with anyone. We just have to hope that Newport makes

some mistakes and we can take advantage of them.”

Tonight championship appearance is the seventh in the school’s

history, tying Stockton’s Linden High for the most all time and a win

would tie Corona del Mar and St. Francis of Mountain View for the most

state titles with four.

According to the latest national poll from vball.com the Sailors are

ranked third in the country behind Hawaii’s Kamehameha High and

Kentucky’s Assumption High.