Boys volleyball: Irvine tops Newport in five

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Even after a tough loss, Newport Harbor Coach Dan

Glenn couldn’t help but grin, realizing it was some of the best high

school boys volleyball he had witnessed in a long time.

At least since the last time his Sailors played Irvine.

Following the Vaqueros’ five-game Sea View League victory Thursday

night over the host Sailors, Glenn was wishing for more.

“I’m kind of disappointed we’re not in the same bracket in the (CIF

Southern Section) playoffs,” Glenn said after Irvine’s wild win, 13-15,

15-10, 14-16, 15-12, 17-15, which gave the Vaqueros (10-1, 5-0 in league)

the inside track to the league championship with three matches remaining.

Irvine, which shared the Sea View title with Newport Harbor last year,

defeated the Sailors (5-5, 3-2) in five games in the first round, while

also winning the last game, 17-15.

“We could’ve won this thing in three games, if you believe that,”

Irvine Coach Mark Mednick said. “Newport Harbor makes you earn

everything.”

Irvine, which will play in Division II when the CIF playoffs start

next month, is ranked No. 5 in Orange County. If no upsets occur the rest

of the way, Irvine would capture its fifth league title under Mednick in

11 years.

“It always happens in this gym, too,” Mednick said. “I love this gym.

It’s got a little corner seating, but there are no obstacles and the ball

comes true off the ceiling. I’ve had some success here. I like it.”

Newport Harbor, the sixth-ranked team in the county which will compete

in the postseason in Division III for the first time, opened a 6-0 lead

in the fifth game, but couldn’t thwart Irvine’s comeback. It was the

biggest lead of the match by either team.

“Having a (6-0) lead is nothing, but a 10-4 lead is something --

you’ve got to shut the door,” said Glenn, whose squad went ahead, 10-4,

after consecutive kills by Blake Tippett, Christian Berg-Hansen and

Tippett again.

Irvine chipped away and pulled to within 10-9, then Newport went up by

two.

Irvine tied it, 11-11, on UCLA-bound Kris Kraushaar’s kill, the first

of four ties at the end of the match.

Harbor rallied from a 14-12 deficit to tie it again, thanks largely to

a controversial call on match point. A spike by Tippett was initially

called out of bounds, but it was changed in favor of Newport Harbor, the

referee instead ruling the ball was tipped after a brief conference.

The play gave Newport a sideout, then Tippett rifled in another kill

to deadlock matters, 14-14.

Following 10 straight sideouts in a riveting conclusion, Newport

Harbor went ahead, 15-14, on a mishandled ball by Irvine. The Sailors

twice served for the match, but couldn’t put the Vaqueros away. A hitting

error by the Tars gave Irvine new life and tied the fifth game again,

15-15.

“This is the best game I’ve ever seen,” one fan said.

Irvine left-hander Zach Jardine, a 6-foot-7 senior, recorded his 30th

kill of the match to give his team a 16-15 lead, then an unforced error

on Irvine’s serve provided the capper in a 17-15 thriller.

“(The Sailors) have a lot of character,” Mednick said. “They play such

good defense and they served us tough throughout the match. But my big

guy, Kris, was all-world tonight.”

Kraushaar, a 6-7 senior outside hitter, finished with 35 kills, 31

digs and six blocks. Jardine also had six blocks for the winners. Jay

Jensen, a 6-6 senior, and Tony Leong had 12 kills each for Irvine.

Newport Harbor, which enjoyed a tremendous rally in the third game to

take a 2-1 lead, was led by Tippett’s 43 kills. Berg-Hansen and Greg

Perrine had 17 kills each for the Sailors, while Craig Morgan added 10.

The Tars, however, had 23 service errors.

“That’s what killed us,” Glenn said. “You’ve got to serve tough

against Irvine.”

In the third game, and Irvine serving with a 14-11 lead, Harbor’s Jamie Diefenbach, a 6-7 freshman, crashed the net with an impressive solo

block on Jardine, giving Newport a sideout and triggering a rally that

led to a 16-14 win for the hosts.