Harbor comes up short in semifinals
Newport Harbor High’s girls volleyball team, facing three
nationally ranked teams in one day, lost in the championship
semifinals Saturday and captured third place at the Nike Challenge in
Chicago, hosted by Mother McCauley High.
Coach Dan Glenn’s Sailors (11-2) defeated Downers Grove South of
Chicago in the quarterfinals, 9-15, 15-8, 15-13, behind senior middle
blocker Kristin McClune (25 kills) and junior outside hitters Alyson
Jennings (16 kills and two aces) and Lauren Miller (10 kills).
The Sailors lost to Assumption’s Rockets of Louisville, Ky., in
the semifinals. Assumption, the No. 1-ranked team in the country last
year, rallied for a 13-15, 15-3, 15-0 victory. “We ran out of gas,
and (the Rockets) got on a roll,” Glenn said.
McClune, an all-tournament selection, had 14 kills in the
semifinals, while Jennings had seven and Elizabeth Clayton five.
In a battle for third place, Newport Harbor defeated Wahlert, the
top-ranked team in Iowa, 15-10, 8-15, 15-13, as McClune had 14 kills.
Jennings (12 kills), junior Emily Turner (10) and Miller (10) also
reached double figures in kills.
CC: Mesa sparkles
On a course where the Golden West League meet will be held, the
Costa Mesa High boys and girls cross country teams both competed in
the Central Park Invitational Saturday with both finishing in the top
15 in CIF Southern Section Division II.
The girls took 11th out of 16 teams and were led by freshman
Katherine Connell (21:56) and followed by Sarah Bryant (22:39), Anna
Rodriguez (23:15), Hanh Nguyen (23:27), Cara Doone (23:30), Araceli
Mendoza (23:42) and Kendra Bailey (24:42).
Senior Christine Bjelland sat out the meet to rest her sore right
hip.
Mitchell’s boys team finished 12th out of 20 Division II teams, as
Carlos Ibarra led the Mustangs with a 16:57, placing him in the top
30 out of 140 runners.
Mesa’s Mario Herrera ran in 17:31 followed by Marco Huipe (17:33),
Tommy Payne (18:25) Saul Palomar (18:38), Jorge Raya (18:38) and
Stephen Kosnosky (19:27).
POLO: Coast women win
Orange Coast College’s women’s water polo team(17-4) won four
times to claim the Ventura Tournament championship Friday and
Saturday.
Among the victims: LA Valley, 17-3; West Valley, 6-0; Ventura,
9-2; and Cuesta, 7-6.
Ericka Nicholson scored seven goals and Amber Braly and Sheri
Meyer scored three goals each against LA Valley.
Courtney Robertson scored three goals and Heather Deyden had 16
saves in the win over West Valley.
Robertson and Nicholson each scored twice against Ventura.
Deyden had 13 saves against Cuesta and Robertson scored four
goals, two in the fourth quarter.
POLO: Sailors top Uni, 10-6
Two goals apiece from Brent Armstrong, Clay Jorth and Michael Bury
paced the Newport Harbor High boys water polo team to a 10-6
nonleague win over University Saturday at Newport Harbor High.
Scoring single goals for the Sailors included Nathan Weiner,
Trevor Gregory, Ross Sinclair and Jay Thompson.
Newport had 16 steals, four each by Weiner and Armstrong with
three from Jorth, who also added an assist, as Bury collected two
steals with Bryan Auer, Gregory and goalkeeper Michael Robinson each
making one steal. Robinson finished with seven saves.
Nathan McLain had two saves.
NONLEAGUE
Newport Harbor 10, University 6 Score by Quarters
University 0 1 4
1 -- 6
Newport 2 2 5 1
-- 10
NH -- Bury 2, Jorth 2, Armstrong 2, Sinclair 1, Gregory
1, Weiner 1, Thompson 1. Saves -- Robinson 7, McLain 2.
VOLLEYBALL: UCI wins
UC Irvine was a 31-29, 30-22,24-30, 30-27 winner in a Big West
Conference match at UC Riverside Saturday night in women’s volleball.
Kelly Wing led UCI with 26 kills and 15 digs. Ashlie Hain had 55
assists and 14 digs. Chanda McLeod added 18 kills and 13 digs.
UCI is now 9-6, 3-4 in the Big West.
VOLLEYBALL: Lions win
Vanguard University dealt visiting Hope International a 30-21,
30-28, 28-30,30-26 defeat in women’s volleyball Saturday. The Lions
improved to 5-11, 2-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
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