Sea Kings win CIF

Bryce Alderton

Corona del Mar High boys volleyball coach Steve Conti called this

year’s team his deepest in 10 years at the helm.

And on Saturday the Sea Kings proved their coach right in more

ways than one.

A determined CdM team that included 10 seniors went the furthest

it could in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs, which

culminated with a 25-23, 25-18, 26-24 victory against Valencia of

Valencia, the two-time defending division champion, in the final.

The second-seeded Sea Kings (27-6) claimed the program’s first CIF

crown since winning the Division I title against Newport Harbor in

2000.

Conti said this year’s team formed its own identity.

“We definitely have studs, but this is a strong team,” Conti said.

“It’s not just the eight guys who played [Saturday night], but all

the guys work hard in practice. Some of our reserves would be

starters on other teams. Our practices are as competitive as the

matches.”

The added motivation of facing Valencia (29-7), which ousted the

Sea Kings from the Division II semifinals last year, amplified the

adrenaline rush, said CdM senior Kevin Welch, a four-year varsity

member along with twin brother Tom Welch.

“Our emotion sky-rocketed when we heard Valencia [which reached

its fifth straight section title match] beat Santa Barbara [in the

semifinals],” said Kevin Welch, who paced the Sea Kings with 13 kills

and four service aces against the Vikings. “We went out and had two

competitive, hard practices. We wanted it more and the outcome was

ours.”

The Sea Kings and Vikings reversed roles from last year to this

season. Valencia started five seniors, including Tony Ker, now at

UCLA, in its three-game sweep of the Sea Kings in the 2004 CIF

playoffs.

In this season’s final, the Sea Kings started four seniors -- both

Welch brothers, Ben Applebee and 6-foot-7 middle blocker Ted

Slaughter -- along with sophomores Phil Bannan (setter) and Adam

Smith (outside hitter). Due to injuries, Conti said this was only the

second time in four playoff matches the Sea Kings used that lineup.

Fittingly, the Welch brothers were on both ends of match point.

Tom Welch served and after a return hit by the Vikings, Bannan set

Kevin Welch on the outside. Valencia’s block went wide, eliciting a

rush from the CdM bench as players formed a celebratory huddle.

Bannan finished with 30 assists while Smith led the Sea Kings with

16 digs. Scott Slaughter tallied 10 kills.

The third game featured eight ties, the last coming at 24-24 after

one of Sean Carter’s team-leading nine kills for Valencia. The

Vikings hit into the net on the next point, setting up CdM’s eventual

match-clinching score.

The Sea Kings trailed, 16-12, in the third game, but rallied to

take a 19-17 lead -- taking advantage of two hitting errors and

center-line violation by Valencia -- and never trailed the rest of

the way.

CdM jumped to a 14-8 lead in the second game before the Vikings

clawed back within 20-18.

A Vikings’ hit sailed wide, giving serve back to CdM’s Kevin

Welch.

Using a powerful jump serve, Welch, the Pacific Coast League Most

Valuable Player as a junior, promptly rattled off three straight

aces, including the capper that graced the back line. A Valencia net

violation gave CdM a two-games-to-none lead.

No team held a lead larger than four points through the first

game, though the Vikings last advantage came at 5-4. The Sea Kings

took a 22-18 lead after a Kevin Welch kill off the block, but the

Vikings rallied to come within 24-23 following a Stephen Cornelius

kill off the block.

Carter served to the Sea Kings and a long rally ensued. Both teams

hustled for every dig and displayed sound passing, but CdM had the

last laugh. Scott Slaughter kept possession alive with a head-first

dig near the sideline and Tom Welch ended the point with a kill of

the blocks.

Conti said winning the first game against the Vikings, who hadn’t

dropped a game in three prior playoff matches, was crucial.

“Our guys responded like champions, they kept battling,” Conti,

who has three CIF titles during his CdM tenure, said. “It’s a hard

climb to the top and they showed a lot of hunger and fight. They

played as hard as warriors.”

Valencia Coach Mark Knudsen complimented CdM’s offensive and

defensive execution and intensity, which got the Vikings out of their

usual rhythm.

Tom Welch and Applebee each finished with seven digs while senior

Shane Collins and Ted Slaughter each contributed three. Applebee and

Collins each added an ace.