Order on the court

Mike Sciacca

Trey Chapel has been around the Laguna Beach High boys’ volleyball

program his entire high school life.

Now in his fourth year of playing on the varsity court, the

18-year-old has been on some pretty talented volleyball teams. He’s

been around some pretty good talent, too -- a pool which includes the

senior.

But as the current Breakers brace for spring break next week, the

returning All-Pacific Coast League player feels there’s something

special about this team.

“I’d have to say it’s the best team I’ve played on, in my four

years on varsity,” said the 6-foot-1 opposite player. “We’re more

sound, more spread out, when it comes to talent.

“We’ve also played in some big-time tournaments, and that’s really

helped us this season. I’m really excited about the remainder of the

year. We’ve been working very hard for the past couple of months.”

Under new head coach Lance Stewart, Laguna was 9-5, heading into

Thursday’s game with league foe Northwood.

So far this year, the Breakers have won the Foothill Tournament,

placed third in Division I at the prestigious Orange County

Championships, and competed at a Dos Pueblos tournament that drew

some of the top teams from the southland.

This week, Laguna was ranked second in the CIF-Southern Section

Division II poll.

“We are making strides,” Stewart said. “We have a good skill set,

in terms of fundamentals and we’re pretty efficient, in terms of

hitting, ball control and serving the ball.

“Playing in such well-respected tournaments, and doing well, has

given this team the confidence to know that they can play with

anybody. I also know that if we’re not mentally prepared for a match,

anybody is capable of beating us, as well.”

Stewart’s first year included a team that had lost all-league

players Nick Aronoff and Matt Anderson -- the latter an all-CIF

player -- to graduation.

But his first team picked up the pieces and moved on, much without

missing a beat.

There have been some changes to the Breakers’ lineup on the court,

however.

Junior Luke Morris was moved from a middle blocker slot to that of

outside hitter.

A freshman, 6-5 Blair Bigelow, is now blocking in the middle.

“Luke is one of our better passers and at middle blocker, that

slot takes him out of position to pass the ball, which is his strong

suit,” Stewart said. “We want to take advantage of that strength.

Blair may be a little inexperienced, but I think he’s going to do

just fine. He just needs to play steadily for us.”

Laguna isn’t a big team. There’s no big, blocking menace, no big,

“6-7 banger,” Stewart said. So, an all-out effort on the court on

game night, is something crucial to the team’s success.

“We need to play with a lot of intensity, and we need to maintain

that level of intensity throughout each match,” Stewart said. “We

also can’t afford to expect other teams to make errors. We will need

to force them.”

Although Laguna figures to seriously challenge for the PCL title,

Stewart feels there’s still room for improvement heading into the

final month of the season.

“One area we need to improve upon is our serving,” he said. “Our

jump serves also need to improve, and they are. It’s also important

for our guys to take the info given them on a play, and put

themselves in position in order to execute that play. All these

things add up. Like I said, I feel we’re making strides.”