Sailors sweep to crown

Richard Dunn

Even after claiming the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA girls

volleyball championship Saturday afternoon, Newport Harbor High was

aiming higher following a clean sweep over designated visitor

Westlake, 15-7, 15-2, 15-11, in a 62-minute title match at Cypress

College.

“Hopefully, we can go after a state (Division II) championship

now,” said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn, who lobbied for the top

seed in the CIF State Championships, which start Tuesday at home for

the Sailors (25-6) against an opponent to be determined today.

Newport Harbor, expected to battle CIF Division II-A champion

Mater Dei for the state tournament’s No. 1 seed, captured its seventh

CIF Southern Section championship and fourth in the past six years.

The school won three in a row from 1997 through ’99 in Division I-AA

in the April Ross Era. Last year, the Sailors were swept in the CIF

Division II-AA title match against Mira Costa, which moved up to

Division I-A this year.

“It was important to win this, because we didn’t want to repeat

last year,” said Pepperdine-bound senior Kristin McClune, Newport

Harbor’s 6-foot-3 middle blocker and an All-American candidate by

several publications, including Student Sports Magazine.

With no Mira Costa in their way this year, the Sailors swept

through the CIF Playoffs without dropping a game, crowned by their

ambush against Westlake’s Warriors (22-4) in the division title

match.

“Every season’s different, but we try to play the most competitive

schedule we can,” Glenn said. “We have no banners in the gym, and the

kids will never get a (championship) ring from me, but it’s all about

getting better and improving as players ... we live in such a ring

society and such a trophy society, but I don’t think that’s what it’s

about. The pros talk about getting rings, but I don’t think high

school sports should be like that.”

Westlake, which didn’t score two or more points in a row at any

point in the first game, had no answer for McClune or junior outside

hitters Lauren Miller and Alyson Jennings. Miller led Newport Harbor

with 10 kills, while McClune and Jennings added nine each in a

balanced attack. The Sailors also served a dozen aces, including

three by Miller and two by Jennings.

Newport Harbor delayed its celebration on the floor. At match

point, Miller needed a tip ruling on her 10th kill before the Tars

could finish off the Warriors, the second seed and Marmonte League

champion.

Top-seeded Newport Harbor, the Sea View League champion, opened

with an 8-2 on the strength of its serving as Miller and Jennings

provided aces.

After a Jennings kill on a Miller set gave Newport Harbor a

sideout, the Tars rolled off five straight points on a Westlake

unforced error, two hitting errors in a row, a kill by Miller from

the back row and an ace by Miller.

Junior opposite Emily Turner’s kill gave the Sailors a sideout

with an 8-4 lead, then back-to-back aces by Turner put Newport Harbor

in the driver’s seat at 10-4.

Newport Harbor completely dominated the second game, ripping off

seven aces and returning everything the Warriors hit over the net.

The Tars amassed a 14-1 lead, before Westlake could score again.

Alexis Kerns capped the second game with an ace. McClune (two),

Miller (two), Turner and Christina Fulce also served second-game

aces.

“In the third game, they made a few errors,” Westlake Coach Doug

Magorien said of the Tars. “But in the first two games, they were

picking everything up ... it’s not that our girls weren’t trying,

it’s just that our physical capabilities aren’t the same.”

Newport Harbor built a 7-0 third-game lead as McClune and Turner

(three kills and an ace) sparked the winners early on. Elizabeth

Clayton, Kiley Hall and setter Kellie King were instrumental in the

third game. McClune had five kills and her only solo block in the

third game, while Shelley Langford and Stephanie Trinen also

contributed to the win.

“I’m not surprised,” Miller said. “We knew we had to come out

strong ... we couldn’t let down or they’d catch us off guard. I

wasn’t looking at the scoreboard. I was just playing my hardest.”