Local team wins title

The Orange County Volleyball Club, which includes five local players,

recorded a thrilling sudden-death victory over Empire Volleyball Club

to win the Girls Volleyball Festival 18s championship July 1 in Reno,

Nev.

The local players featured recent Newport Harbor High graduate

Allyson Jennings, bound for the University of Texas, Newport Harbor

senior-to-be Kiley Hall, as well as Corona del Mar’s Jordan Smith,

Lindsey Ensign and Breanne Ogden who will be seniors in the fall.

There were 140 teams in the age bracket at the tourney and the

squads hailed from Canada, Puerto Rico and various cities across the

nation.

The OC volleyball club entered the final match with no losses in

the tournament, but the Empire club won two out of three games to

force a sudden-death game to 25. The OC volleyball club team won,

25-23.

“They were really focused,” Coach Gary Nakamura said of his

players. “It was kind of like David and Goliath and we were the short

team. They had like three inches on us at every position.”

Nakamura said he was impressed with Jennings.

“I don’t think I could expect much more from that girl,” he said.

“She has been great and I’ve been fortunate to coach her when she was

in the eighth and 10th grade. I think it was only fitting for her to

go out with the win.”

Nakamura also said his team was inspired to win because of Andrea

Collins, who died of cancer Sept. 4 2003. Nakamura said Collins would

have been the setter for the team.

“We had a lot of heart and determination,” Nakamura said. “We had

a guardian angel on the team. She was looking over us.”