Breakers’ season ends in loss to Valencia

The quarterfinal round became the stopping point for the Laguna Beach

High boys’ volleyball team for the fourth consecutive year.

Previously, Bishop Montgomery, Santa Ynez and Chaminade each had

ended Laguna’s CIF-Southern Section title hopes with quarterfinal

round wins the past three years, prior to Laguna reaching the

Division III title game in 1999.

On this occasion, top-seed Valencia was the quarterfinal culprit.

The host Vikings dropped the Breakers from Division II title

contention with a 15-6, 15-2, 15-8 victory.

“We’re disappointed because we thought we could have played

better,” said outside hitter Matt Anderson. “We didn’t want the

season to end.”

The loss came during Laguna’s first postseason road trip, as the

Breakers had opened the playoffs with a pair of home matches.

They scored a three-game sweep of El Modena in first-round play,

then beat Villa Park in a four-game, second round match.

Laguna, the No. 2 entry from the Pacific Coast League, finished

the year 17-17.

In girls’ swimming, Laguna had two relay teams qualify for the CIF

Southern Section team relays.

Thirty-two schools competed in the Division II event at Mount San

Antonio College in Walnut.

Laguna qualified in the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle relay,

both events swam, in order, by sophomore Addison Doud, senior Sarah

Elliott, junior Jackie Reed and senior Lina Moore.

In the 200-meter relay, the foursome swam to a time of 1:47.14.

That time allowed the team to improve from a No. 29 standing to

finish 22nd overall in the division.

The time also was one second off the school record, said Laguna

Coach Larry Zubrin.

In the 400-meter relay, the Breakers swam a 4:01.50 and moved up

from 32nd to a final standing of 26th in the division.

“I was extremely happy with how well the girls swam at prelims,”

Zubrin said. “They really stepped it up and did a terrific job.

“The free relays were our team’s strong point the entire season

and one of our main goals was to qualify these two teams for the CIF

meet. The girls met that challenge by qualifying earlier in the

season in a meet against Huntington Beach. It was great to see them

compete and do well at CIF.”