Monarchs deny Sailors

Bryce Alderton

Visiting Newport Harbor High and Mater Dei’s girls nonleague

volleyball match Wednesday might have fallen early in the season, but

the postseason implications cannot be denied.

Mater Dei gained the upper hand when seeding for the CIF State

Division II championships comes around -- provided both teams get

that far -- by virtue of its 25-18, 19-25, 25-16, 25-21 triumph over

the Sailors (6-2), who committed 21 hitting errors along with 17

blocking miscues to give the already potent Monarchs, winners of the

last two CIF Southern Section Division II-A titles, added gifts.

“If we both go far [in the state playoffs], Mater Dei will have

the home-court advantage,” Newport Coach Dan Glenn said. “We have a

much tougher path than they do. But it is still early. If we have to

come back here, we have the experience of playing in their gym.”

Newport won the CIF Division II-AA title last year and earned the

top seed into last season’s state playoffs. The Sailors advanced to

the Southern California regional final against Liberty of

Bakersfield, which defeated the Monarchs in the region semifinals

last fall.

The Monarchs, who lost to Newport in five games for the first time

in the 2000s last fall at Harbor, were not to be denied Wednesday.

But the Sailors didn’t help their cause.

“Against a good team, you will have a lot of hitting errors,”

Glenn said. “We missed four key serves at the end of the fourth game

and that hurt the momentum. We had few instances of miscommunication

and you can’t do that against good team. They have a couple of

players who are tough to stop.”

Mater Dei setter Amanda Mais assisted outside hitter Mallorie

Croal for a match-high 16 kills for the Monarchs (9-2), who finished

last weekend’s Las Vegas tournament in sixth place out of 32 teams.

Newport senior Alyson Jennings paced the Tars with 15 kills and

added 22 assists, splitting time between setter and outside hitter.

Junior Taryn Tarnutzer posted 10 kills and seven solo blocks, using

her left-arm swing on the outside to knock down winners and senior

Kellie King led the Sailors with 25 assists. Junior Kiley Hall added

six kills and senior Lauren Miller provided five blocks at the net.

In a fourth game that saw five ties before Newport took its first

lead of the set, 15-14, the Monarchs’ Taylor Carroll served five

straight points, collecting two service aces to go with two kills

from outside hitter Kelly Klein.

The Sailors cut the lead to 21-20, but a serve into the net gave

the Monarchs the ball and they got two more kills from Carroll and

the final winner from Croal to ice it.

Newport took its first lead of the second game at 12-11 in which

senior Emily Turner, playing in the front row for the first time all

year, served for six consecutive points. Turner has been battling

tendinitis in her knees, as has Miller.

“We have a lot to improve on from here,” Glenn said. “But we don’t

have much time.”Newport faces St. Francis High of Mountain View and

Archbishop Mitty this weekend in two nonleague matches. St. Francis

won the Division I state title last year and Mitty was a state-holder

two years ago.