Story by Barry Faulkner * Photo by...

Story by Barry Faulkner * Photo by Sean Hiller

Beyond talent and geographic proximity, there is another common

theme binding the boys volleyball standouts on the Daily Pilot’s

All-Newport-Mesa Dream Team.

And, perhaps, no one symbolizes this theme of coming into one’s

own as much as Corona del Mar High senior Eric Jones, who is the

Player of the Year.

*

This time last season, Jones, a 6-foot-7 middle blocker, was

preparing to play his first club season, after failing to make the

All-Pacific Coast League team in his first year on the varsity.

After opening eyes in the club campaign, however, he entered his

senior season with a volleyball scholarship to Stanford already

locked up. After overcoming an ankle injury that sidelined him the

first handful of matches, Jones went on to lead the Sea Kings to the

Pacific Coast League title and a berth in the CIF Southern Section

Division II quarterfinals.

He shared Most Valuable Player honors in the PCL and represented

the Sea Kings in the Orange County All-Star match.

Joining Jones on this year’s nine-player squad are breakthrough

performers Josh Kornegay and Kris Hartwell from Estancia, the CdM

trio of Greg Gabriel, Bart Welch and Kevin Welch, as well as Newport

Harbor’s Mike Toole and Sage Hill School’s Kevin Joyce.

Newport Harbor junior Jamie Diefenbach, the lone repeat honoree

who recovered from reconstructive knee surgery in the fall to

establish himself as one of the leading middle blockers in Orange

County, rounds out the squad.

Kornegay, a 6-4 junior opposite, captained Coach Tracey Heims’

Eagles, who claimed a share of the Golden West League crown, the

school’s first league title since 1984. The Eagles, who went 0-10 in

Pacific Coast League play in 2002, lost a five-game thriller in the

CIF Division III semifinals to finish 29-11.

A powerful hitter who has honed his all-around game in club

competition, Kornegay was Co-MVP in the Golden West League. Heims

also praised Kornegay’s serving, leadership and passing ability as

keys to the team’s success.

Hartwell, a 6-2 junior outside hitter, was another consistent

catalyst for the Eagles. A first-team All-Golden West performer, his

above-average leaping ability helped him provide hitting punch, even

from the back row. In addition, his passing skills and court sense

made him a constant thorn in opposing team’s efforts to subdue

Estancia.

With Kornegay and Hartwell leading the way, the Eagles won 11 of

12 league matches.

Gabriel, a 6-1 senior setter, emerged from a supporting role in

2002 to trigger Coach Steve Conti’s attack. Transformed by physical

maturation in the offseason, Gabriel used his improved physique,

burgeoning confidence and developing skills to provide a rock of

stability in a lineup beset by injury. Gabriel’s constancy helped him

share league MVP honors with Jones.

Bart Welch, a 6-0 outside hitter, was among the many Sea Kings to

battle injury this spring. An ankle sprain sidelined him for a

sizable portion of the schedule, but he virtually willed his way back

into the lineup for the postseason. His hitting hampered by health,

his ball-control skills and leadership ability earned consistent

praise from Conti, who deemed the senior veteran invaluable.

Kevin Welch, a 6-0 sophomore outside hitter and one of three Welch

brothers on the team, utilized a hard-nosed style and rugged

competitive nature to offer valuable inspiration to his older

teammates. Intangibles, however, are only part of the package for

this powerfully built standout, whose strength, savvy and sincerity

about winning should make put him at the center of CdM success the

next two years. Like Bart a second-team All-PCL pick, Kevin Welch was

also a Dream Team selection in football as a receiver last fall.

Diefenbach, a 6-8 junior, returned at the end of the first round

of Sea View League play to help lift the Sailors to a share of the

League crown and a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division I

playoffs. A constant target of opposing blockers, he was still the

go-to Harbor hitter. He had a match-high 24 kills in the Tars’

regular-season-ending four-game triumph over Back Bay rival CdM. He

was a first-team all-league choice.

Toole, another first-team All-Sea View performer, emerged as a

valuable 6-1 senior outside hitter for Coach Dan Glenn’s Sailors. His

contributions were particularly vital with Diefenbach and sophomore

standout Brett Perrine (out for the season with a torn ACL)

sidelined. He joined Jones in the Orange County All-Star match.

Joyce, a 6-3 junior outside hitter, helped the Lightning contend

for a CIF playoff berth in their second varsity season. They

eventually finished fourth in the Academy League. A club player with

well-rounded skills, he was the Newport Coast private school’s

leading hitter.