Girls volleyball: Artists rally to win in five

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - With high expectations this season, Corona del Mar

High’s girls volleyball team didn’t expect its toughest challenges to

come until the postseason.

But visiting Laguna Beach rallied to defeat the host Sea Kings in five

games Tuesday, 11-15, 15-11, 9-15, 15-2, 15-8, in Pacific Coast League

action.

“If we would’ve played our ‘B’ game, we would’ve beaten them three

straight, and I don’t care if they read this (quote),” CdM Coach Bill

Christiansen said of the Artists.

Christiansen, a former Laguna Beach coach as recently as 1995, added

that his team’s performance was “horrible, because our passing totally

broke down ... I think every team has a horrible day in the season and I

hope this is that one day.”

Corona del Mar (10-3, 2-1 in league) enjoyed a 2-1 edge after winning

the third game, capped by junior Claire Allen’s service ace.

But the wheels started coming off for the Sea Kings in the fourth

game, as Laguna Beach (8-3, 3-0) easily built an 11-1 lead. The Artists

scored seven straight points during one stretch.

In the rally-scoring fifth game, Laguna Beach went ahead, 6-4, after

CdM failed to return three consecutive serves because of passing errors.

CdM tied it, 6-6, on a kill by senior outside hitter Morgan Smith

(team-high 15 kills) and a lift violation on the Artists, but the

visitors scored nine of the next 11 points to win going away.

Laguna Beach Coach Shawn Patchell said the second game was the turning

point, as the Artists came back to tie the match on momentum from the

first game, in which the Artists trailed, 14-4, and rallied to make it

close.

“It was a waxing,” Patchell said of the first game. “But then we came

back, and that helped us in the second game.”

Martina Speare led Laguna Beach on defense with 15 digs, while

6-foot-1 seniors Sarah Salem (27 kills) and Brittany Wood (21) provided

most of the offense. Wood also had eight solo blocks and setter Leanne

Kubisak had 50 assists.

For CdM, Allen added 14 kills and Eleanor Mack seven.

“Now we have to win the rematch (Oct. 25 at Laguna Beach) to be

co-league champions -- that’s a horrible position,” Christiansen said.

“There’s no way we can play any worse than tonight.”

In the fifth game, Laguna Beach’s Sonia Badheka scored on a kill for a

7-6 lead, igniting a five-point Artist run, which included a service

winner by Kubisak, two kills by Wood and a CdM hitting error.

After Mack’s spike edged the line for a kill, Wood provided two more

kills for the Artists, including a cross-court tap, for a 13-7 advantage.

Salem fittingly closed out the match with a kill for the Artists.

“Laguna Beach played an excellent match,” Christiansen said. “(The

Artists) kept the ball in and played great defense. You have to give them

credit for coming back from a 2-1 deficit.”

In the crucial second game, CdM came back to tie it, 10-10, but the

Artists took control down the stretch, led by the hitting of Wood,

Badheka and Salem and blocking of Wood and Kubisak.

CdM plays an all-star high school team from Alberta, Canada, tonight

at 6 p.m.