Boys volleyball: Dream Team

Barry Faulkner

Convened for a group photograph recently, members of the Daily

Pilot’s All-Newport-Mesa boys volleyball Dream Team, drawn equally from

Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor high schools, did not revert to

provincial pride.

Instead, the eight players renewed ongoing friendships, talked about

their club teams -- upon which most had played or are still playing side

by side -- and joked with one another as seamlessly as brothers.

Throw a net between them, of course, and an abrupt change would occur, as

it did the four times CdM and Harbor squared off this spring. That final

meeting, May 27 at Cypress College, decided the CIF Southern Section

Division I champion, as CdM prevailed in a five-game struggle.

But for the efforts of senior setter Kevin Hansen, that CIF championship

plaque may have found its way to the other side of the Back Bay.

A two-time All-CIF performer, whose soft hands, hard work and pliable

talents helped the Sea Kings win their final 20 matches, the 6-foot-4

future Stanford Cardinal is the Player of the Year.

Joining Hansen, who also collected CIF Division I MVP honors and was the

Co-Player of the Year on the all-district basketball team as a senior, as

repeat a repeat selection is senior CdM teammate Greg Stampley.

Seniors Alec Hanson and Chris Shepherdson also represent the Sea Kings on

the all-district squad.

Bringing Newport Harbor blue to the team picture are seniors Billy

Clayton, Kent Turner and Dustin Illingworth, as well as junior Blake

Tippett.

Coach of the Year honors are shared by CdM’s Steve Conti and Newport

Harbor’s Dan Glenn.

Stampley, a first-team All-CIF performer who shared Pacific Coast League

MVP with Hansen, has been termed the most complete outside hitter in

Orange County by his coach.

A powerful hitter at 6-4, he also is a superb passer and capable blocker,

allowing him to have a major impact in the front or back row. He plans to

walk on at USC.

Clayton, another first-team All-CIF choice, will join Hansen at Stanford,

for which he will lend supreme athleticism, competitiveness and

burgeoning skills.

A varsity starter less than two seasons and one of only two returners who

played extensively on last year’s CIF Division I champions, Clayton’s

best volleyball, all agree, is ahead of him. But, displaying a sense of

urgency as apparent as his talent, Clayton bombed away from the front row

and the back row, leading his team in kills, as well as to the end of a

playoff road strewn with upset victims.

Turner, a second-team All-CIF pick, spent his first two seasons at CdM,

watching mostly from the sideline as a sophomore, when the Sea Kings won

the CIF Division III crown.

He was a role player as a junior and planned to be an outside hitter this

season. But an injury opened a hole at setter and Turner stepped forth to

trigger the offense effectively. He also chipped in with his block and

was among the most dangerous servers around, arcing jump serves just over

the net for frequent aces and service winners. He will attend USC, but

his volleyball days are likely over.

Hanson, who arrived late after helping the basketball team extend its

season into the state playoffs (earning all-district recognition in the

process), promptly sprained an ankle and missed and extended period.

His return, however, helped solidify the Sea Kings, who won the PCL

title. He pulled an abdominal muscle during the playoff run, but played

through the pain to add valuable hitting and passing skills. Hanson, who

plans to play for the club team at Cal, was a third-team All-CIF pick.

Illingworth, who sat out his junior volleyball season, was re-recuited by

Glenn this spring. By the end of the season, it was apparent why Glenn

worked so hard to sell this District Co-MVP in basketball, who will play

hoops at UC San Diego, on volleyball.

A high-flying 6-foot-4 middle blocker, Illingworth improved by leaps and

bounds, eventually becoming a potent weapon at the net.

Tippett, the lone junior on the all-district squad, earned respect from

his teammates and his coaches for his all-around abilities.

Though seldom posting eye-popping kill numbers, this 6-3 outside hitter

contributed in all the ways volleyball insiders appreciate -- namely ball

control.

Shepherdson, a 5-10 outside hitter, also made more of an impact from the

back row, where his passing skills made CdM one of the most frustrating

teams for opposing hitters to play against.