CdM falls in five

Steve Virgen

TORRANCE - Almost.

That’s what the Corona del Mar High girls volleyball team was left

thinking after it saw a 14-12 fifth-game lead slip through its hands in a

CIF Southern Section Division III-A semifinal at Bishop Montgomery

Tuesday.

In a match where momentum bounced back and forth like a two-hour

pinball game, Bishop Montgomery grabbed the last piece of spirited play

to take a 15-6, 10-15, 15-11, 14-16, 18-16 victory.

The Sea Kings’ seniors came through to provide the fifth game,

receiving inspirational performances from Morgan Smith, who led with a

match-high 31 kills, and Jacqueline Becker, who set 51 assists. CdM

senior Katie Duggan came up with three service aces, as did junior Alissa

Zoelle, while junior Claire Allen slammed 14 kills.

“(The Sea Kings) had tremendous heart,” CdM Coach Bill Christiansen

said. “It was just a battle. Back and forth. All our girls played well,

and we got an outstanding effort from Morgan.”

Smith, a transfer from Mater Dei, seemingly answered the call each

time the Sea Kings needed a point. With each kill, she appeared to

frustrate the Knights, who retaliated with Noelle Quinn, a 5-foot-11

middle blocker who led Bishop Montgomery (26-7) with 22 kills.

Each game played out like a chapter in a book and the visiting Sea

Kings provided plenty of dramatics in their Game 4 comeback.

Down 8-3, CdM stormed back to set up an eventful ending. Zoelle served

for three straight points, including an ace and a Smith kill, that gave

CdM its first lead, 9-8, since 2-0.

Then from a 10-10 tie, Becker served for two straight points,

including an ace. Becker later added a rare kill off an assist from Smith

for a 13-10 lead. But the Knights came back to take the lead and reach

game point.

CdM senior Eleanor Mack, who had seven kills and two aces, slapped a

kill off a Becker assist for side out. And with Zoelle serving, Duggan

skied for a block. After two side outs provided by Smith and Mack, Mack

served up an ace for a 15-14 lead and Smith finished the game with a kill

off an assist from Becker.

“She played awesome,” Becker said of Smith.

After dropping the first game, mainly because of seven errors that led

to points, the Sea Kings (19-7) roared back in Game 2 building a 10-1

lead and held on for the 15-10 win.