Tars in for long haul

Barry Faulkner

The Newport Harbor High boys volleyball season could be a

cliffhanger, though veteran coach Dan Glenn is in no mood for many

more surprises.

Glenn, entering his 17th season, watched 6-foot-8 junior middle

blocker Jamie Diefenbach and 6-4 sophomore Brett Perrine both tear an

ACL competing for the basketball team, adding to lineup holes left by

the graduation of former standouts Greg Perrine, Loyd Wright, Brian

Gaeta and Erik Peterson.

Brett Perrine is out for the season, but Glenn expects Diefenbach

to return in late April, around the middle of the Sea View League

season.

Some pleasant surprises have included the return to the program of

6-9 senior Nedim Pajevic, as well as 6-1 senior Chad Rorden. Both

basketball standouts started for the Sailors as they opened their

season Friday in pool play at the San Diego Tournament of Champions.

Pajevic, an Orange County All-Star in basketball, played his only

full volleyball season as a freshman on the frosh-soph. But his size

and athletic ability should help lessen any volleyball rust that has

developed.

“He can play,” Glenn said. “He could have helped us last year

(when the Tars were top-ranked in Orange County and advanced to the

quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division II Playoffs,

before finishing 26-7).”

The Sailors return to Division I this season and, Glenn believes,

should be better prepared to make an extended postseason run by the

time his inexperienced crew has added varsity seasoning.

“We lost some very good seniors last year, but our starters are

all seniors,” Glenn said.

Joining Pajevic and Rorden, an athletic outside hitter, will be

senior setter Nick Kelly, who takes over for Wright after playing in

the back row last spring.

Paul Toman, a 6-2 middle blocker who contributed last season, is

also in a starting lineup that includes outside hitter and captain

Michael Toole, and 6-3 opposite Nick Glassic.

Glenn also said Michael McDonald, a senior returner who

quarterbacked the football team last fall, will add to what he

believes is a solid corps of passers.

“Our ball control should be pretty good, which should help us get

the ball to Nedim,” Glenn said. “The thing I’m worried about is where

we are going to get our kills.”

Pajevic could help allay any fears about a productive hitter at

the net, and Toman, as well as Toole and Rorden, have shown the

potential to carry their share.

The return of Diefenbach, who emerged as an All-Newport-Mesa

performer as a sophomore, should give the Tars unprecedented height

at the net and potentially allow Glenn to shift either Toman or

Pajevic to the right side.

Glenn also believes depth is a strength, as all 11 players

currently available are expected to contribute.

The additional contributors are senior Ryan Newell, as well as

juniors Adam Schlesinger, Jon Langford and Morgan Govaars.

“Some of these guys are up from the junior varsity, but our JV

teams have done pretty well the last few years and Coach Bryan

Cottriel does a good job of getting them ready to help us (on the

varsity),” Glenn said.

Glenn expects Woodbridge to provide the biggest challenge in the

Sea View League. He is pleased that the Warriors are fourth in the

sequence of five league matches.

“The longer the season goes, the better we’re going to be,” Glenn

said. “Right now, there are a lot of question marks for the Tars.”

Newport is scheduled to conclude its regular season with a May 9

showdown with Back Bay rival Corona del Mar.