Eagles deliver

Barry Faulkner

In the closest thing to a boys volleyball midterm for the only

unbeaten teams in the Golden West League, host Estancia High had all

the answers Wednesday, sweeping two-time defending league co-champion

Ocean View, 15-5, 16-14, 15-4.

So, it was not surprising to learn afterward that the Eagles

(13-2, 7-0 in league), now on the inside track toward at least a

share of the program’s first league title since 1984, had made the

Seahawks (11-5, 5-1) something of a homework project.

“We’ve been scouting them since the preseason,” Estancia junior

outside hitter Kris Hartwell said. “We had all their rotations down

and we knew everything they do. We’ve taken home papers on them and

studied.”

The Eagles were a study in determination and dominance Wednesday,

never trailing in efficient first- and third-game triumphs and

surrendering the lead only briefly before closing out a hard-fought

second game.

It was the second victory over Ocean View this season for

Estancia, which won 2 of 3 games from the Seahawks in the Orange

County Championships.

Estancia is ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division III,

behind Camarillo and one spot ahead of Ocean View.

Ocean View Coach Jimmy Harris said he was surprised by the sweep,

but not the level of play exhibited by the Eagles, who were led by

Hartwell (12 kills, four aces and one stuff block) and junior

opposite Josh Kornegay (a match-high 14 kills, four stuff blocks and

two aces).

“We played them a little tougher in the Orange County tournament,”

Harris said. “I was surprised about how quickly they got on us today,

but I wasn’t surprised about the way [Kornegay] and [Hartwell] hit

the ball. Those guys are not only first-team all-league players, they

should be All-CIF.”

The 6-foot-4 Kornegay and the 6-2 Hartwell were the leading

recipients of sophomore Trevor Holmes’ consistent sets, though 6-1

junior outside hitter Brad Larsen (seven kills and two aces) and 6-5

junior middle blocker Scott Sankey (six kills and one block) also did

their share. Holmes finished with a match-high 34 assists.

Meanwhile, Ocean View switched 6-3 senior setter Justin Roth to

outside hitter after the first game, trying to supply a little muscle

at the net. But with Roth hitting (a team-high six kills), the

Seahawks suffered in the setting department as Roth’s backup needed

two games to match the eight assists Roth collected in the first

game.

After cruising in the first game, Estancia became its own worst

enemy in the second, allowing the visitors to turn deficits of 5-0

and 6-2 into an 8-7 lead on Chapman’s only kill of the match, a

flat-footed roll shot from the back row.

A net violation gave Ocean View a 9-7 advantage and the Seahawks

broke a 9-9 tie to take the lead again.

But, after an Estancia timeout, Ocean View missed a serve, then a

Sankey stuff block and a mishandled ball by the Seahawks put the

Eagles up, 11-10.

Estancia scored the next three points, including a Larsen ace and

a Hartwell kill, but Ocean View staved off two game points to pull

even at 14.

But a Kornegay kill gave the Eagles a sideout and Kornegay closed

it out, first with a tip that rolled off the tape and onto the

sideline for a point, then a thunderous kill that fell between a

Seahawk blocker and the net.

“This team likes to battle it out,” Tracey Heims said of the

second game. “We just had to focus and quit making mistakes in that

second game.”

As the only unbeaten team in the league, there is now room for

error. But the Eagles are determined not to slip up, en route to the

Ocean View rematch May 8.

“This lets us know we have what it takes,” Heims said.

Added Hartwell: “This proves we’re the No. 1 team in league, now.”