Sailors win the battle

Richard Dunn

In an environment akin to the playoffs, the storied Back Bay girls

volleyball rivalry rocked the house Friday night, before Newport

Harbor High earned a dramatic five-game nonleague victory over Corona

del Mar, 5-15, 15-9, 6-15, 15-13, 17-15.

In a wild finish, Coach Dan Glenn’s Sailors staved off match point

and won four of the fifth game’s next five points as they celebrated

on the Sea Kings’ floor.

“I think during one of our timeouts, I told the kids this is my

80th Newport-Corona match ... and rarely has there been a boring

one,” said Glenn, who counted all the boys and girls matches in 17

years of coaching at Newport Harbor, including playoff matches.

The Sailors (22-6), who are expected to receive the No. 1 seed in

next week’s CIF Southern Section Division II-AA Playoffs, came from

behind after losing two of the first three games, winning the fourth

and fifth games in thrilling fashion.

Newport Harbor 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker Kristin McClune, who

led the Tars with 33 kills, and junior outside hitter Alyson Jennings

(18 kills and two service aces) were the primary weapons for Glenn

down the stretch.

In the final game, CdM setter MacKenzie Conover’s dump kill tied

it, 13-13, then Claire Allen (21 kills) gave the hosts a 14-13 lead

on a kill, after teammate Jordan Smith kept the rally alive with a

sensational dig and return on Jennings’ rocket.

At match point, however, Jennings wound up again with a big swing

on a set from Kellie King and slammed home a kill off the block to

tie it, 14-14.

McClune hit the back line on the next point, but Corona del Mar

fought off match point with Allen tied it, 15-15, on a tip.

Newport Harbor got the lead back, 16-15, on a McClune kill, then

the Sailors won it when a CdM player’s return volleyed off the roof

and bounced away. Harbor’s Whitney George provided a key dig to keep

the rally alive.

“Just your typical Back Bay match,” CdM Coach Bill Christiansen

quipped. “Both teams really stepped up a lot and neither team wanted

to lose to the other.”

The Sea Kings (17-8), the undefeated Pacific Coast League

champions who should get one of the top three seeds in the CIF

Division III-A Playoffs, jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first game

with Lauren Snell at serve.

“We had five or six tough serves and played some good defense, but

really (the early 10-0 lead) was kind of a fluke,” Christiansen said.

“The key to Newport Harbor winning was Alyson Jennings’ passing. We

were trying to serve away from her, but she was really stepping up

... she’s the rock of their team. She’s an unbelievable player.”

Newport Harbor tied the match in the second game, rallying from a

9-6 deficit and keeping the Sea Kings under 10 points the rest of the

way. Harbor scored six unanswered points with junior Elizabeth

Clayton at serve to conclude the second game. Clayton added a kill

from the back row during the spurt, while McClune had 10 kills in the

game, including three scoring kills in the final run. George chipped

in with a kill that rolled off the tape.

“This is our first playoff game -- that’s what I told the kids

before the match -- but we sure didn’t show up like it was a playoff

game,” said Glenn, whose team won the Sea View League title. “It

could have gone either way (at the end). There were two good teams

out there and people were making a lot of digs.”

After CdM managed a 2-1 edge in games, rallying from a 6-2 deficit

to win easily after scoring the third game’s next 13 points, Newport

Harbor tied the match with an exciting fourth-game victory.

CdM’s Britta Nielsen gave the hosts an 8-7 edge in the fourth game

on a kill, which was followed by seven sideouts, before Newport

Harbor took the lead, 10-8. CdM pulled to within one, but the Sailors

built their lead to a comfortable 13-9, after a Jennings kill and an

unforced error on CdM.

After Snell’s kill gave CdM a sideout, three straight hitting

errors on the Sailors, and a kill by Allen, tied the game at 13.

During CdM’s run, McClune was stuck in the back row in Newport’s

rotation.

After a sideout to the Tars, McClune returned to the front and

scored kills on the next two points as Harbor won a nail-biter.

* Meanwhile at Costa Mesa, the Mustangs closed out a perfect run

in the Golden West League with a 15-5, 15-9, 15-4 victory over

visiting Saddleback.

Sharon Day was Mesa’s kill leader with 13, and Kristen Bagwell

chipped in with nine kills and Jackie Havens had three blocks and

five ace serves.

The Mustangs, who are awaiting the start of next week’s CIF

Playoffs, are 13-2, 12-0 in league.