Girls volleyball: Mira Costa sweeps Newport again

Richard Dunn

MANHATTAN BEACH - As Newport Harbor High girls volleyball coach Dan

Glenn is well aware, unless you win a state championship, your season

ends at some point with a defeat.

Saturday night’s long bus ride home down the 405 freeway signaled a

third setback of the year in three meetings against powerhouse host Mira

Costa, which swept the Sailors, 15-6, 15-8, 15-8 in a respectable

semifinal performance for Newport Harbor (22-11) in the CIF State

Division II Championships.

“I was embarrassed by the way we played in the CIF (Southern Section

Division II-AA) finals (against Mira Costa), but I was not embarrassed

tonight,” Glenn said.

“The scores don’t show it, but the points lasted a long time ... (the

Mustangs) were just better than us tonight. They’re just a better team.”

Top-seeded Mira Costa (31-5) is on a quest to win its first state

title since 1989, Coach DaeLea Aldrich said after winning the CIF

Division II title over Harbor with a 15-8, 15-3, 15-10, win at Cypress

College.

Mira Costa also swept the Sailors in this year’s Santa Barbara

Tournament of Champions Oct. 19, 15-3, 15-8, 17-15.

“Tonight was about how hard we played and how the kids battled,” Glenn

said. “You see the scores and don’t see the kills and digs we had. You’d

think we got blown out of the gym, but they’re just a better team. I told

my seniors they had a great, great season, and I told the younger kids

that we’ll be back to fight another day.”

For Newport Harbor, senior Christine Woller led with 18 kills, while

senior setter Katie King finished with 57 assists and a dozen kills and

junior middle blocker Kristen McClune had 12 kills.

Senior outside hitter Andrea Trinen recorded 15 digs and 10 kills for

Newport, while sophomore outside hitter Alyson Jennings pitched in with

15 digs and nine kills and Liz Lord, a senior middle blocker, added 17

digs and five kills.