Newport Harbor battle tested

Bryce Alderton

Newport Harbor High boys volleyball coach Dan Glenn was in eager,

even anxious spirits, when discussing the road that lies ahead for

his team that has been snake-bitten with injuries to key players the

last two years.

“We have a good shot against a lot of good opponents. I love our

schedule,” said Glenn, entering his 18th year at the Sailors’ helm.

Newport (3-3 through Sunday) will battle perennial powers

Huntington Beach and Mira Costa in nonleague matches before battling

Woodbridge twice in Sea View League play. The Sailors and Warriors

shared the league championship last year.

Newport, which advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern

Section Division I playoffs, will try to navigate without one of its

main weapons -- 6-foot-8 senior middle blocker Jamie Diefenbach. The

first-team all-league honoree a year ago will miss the entire season

after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a

basketball slam dunk contest during the basketball season at a

December tournament.

Diefenbach, a captain, is coaching Newport’s frosh-soph team along

with senior Emily Turner, a Newport-Mesa Dream Team selection last

fall. Diefenbach missed half the season last year after recovering

from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

The loss of Diefenbach is somewhat soothed by the arrival of 6-6

junior opposite Brett Perrine, who missed all of last season after

tearing an ACL while playing in a basketball game in January 2003.

“He blocks well and plays with a flow ,” Glenn said of Perrine.

“It’s one of those things ... his two brothers [Greg and Eric

Perrine] have played and so [Brett] has been around volleyball.

“He is one of our go-to guys, but he will not be able to carry the

load. Our strength is our balance.”

Returning senior captains Adam Schlesinger, a 6-5 setter who has

signed with Long Beach State, along with outside hitter Morgan

Govaars and middle blocker Jon Langford, give Newport added strength

up front.

Newport’s other eight players will all make their varsity debuts

this season.

Senior outside hitters Chase Kelly and Taylor Carver, who both

played on Newport’s boys soccer team that reached the CIF Southern

Section Division II quarterfinals last month, give Glenn added

athleticism.

“[Kelly] didn’t play volleyball last year. He played tennis,”

Glenn said. “His family members are a bunch of winners. I like his

attitude. He is going to get better and better.”

Seniors Gavin Galey and Matt Cheffer, along with junior Brad

Schneider and sophomore Brett Auer, who played on Newport’s water

polo team in the fall, give added hitting options. Junior James Hapke

and sophomore Ted Slater are other options at middle blocker.

While there might be a relative lack of varsity volleyball

experience, this year’s Sailors have gained lessons from other

sports.

“The soccer team had a great run and the basketball kids [Perrine

and Diefenbach] have already been to the CIF playoffs,” Glenn said.

“I don’t care what sport the experience is in, if you compete at a

high level and work on volleyball skills ... it makes it fun coaching

such good athletes.”

“I have a great coach [Bryan Cottriel] at the [junior varsity]

level,” Glenn said. “They are used to working hard down there.”