Sailors start with a sweep

Newport Harbor rolls in three-game win over La Mirada to open CIF Southern Section playoffs and moves on to face El Dorado.NEWPORT BEACH -- The Newport Harbor High girls volleyball team hasn’t lost in more than two weeks, and it’s still not ready to taste defeat.

“I don’t want my season to end,” said senior Bryana Carey. “We want to keep playing for a few more weeks.”

After a 25-14, 25-11, 25-10 victory over La Mirada on Tuesday, the Sailors (21-7) advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs against El Dorado on Thursday.

The Sailors concluded the season better than expected, going undefeated in the Sea View League, with only one starting senior.

Carey led the way in the beginning of each game, as she scored the first point in the first and second game with a kill, and kicked off the third with an ace.

In the first game, Matadors errors paved the way to a 6-0 start for Newport. Three consecutive aces by Carey increased the Sailors’ lead to 12-4, a kill by Megan Munce and an ace by Megan Toman helped clinch the first game.

The Sailors rolled in the second game, quickly taking a 21-6 lead.

“Our biggest opponent is ourselves,” said Newport Coach Dan Glenn. “Tonight, we were just able to take care of our side of the net.”

In the third game, the Matadors (13-6) enjoyed their only leads of the match -- 2-1 and 3-2. But Newport rebounded as kills by Toman, Carey and Jessica Robson gave the Sailors a 14-7 lead. Mary Buckingham (five kills and six digs) had two digs to help increase the lead to 23-10.

“It’s so exciting because we worked so hard, and we’re starting to get better,” said Coco Yokoyama.

Newport Harbor will face a familiar opponent Thursday, and will hope for a repeat of last season’s Division II-AA quarterfinals, in which they defeated El Dorado in five games.

“We’re hyped, because they’re going to want to beat us,” said Yokoyama. “Last year, they took the first two games, and we took the last three. They’re going to want revenge.”

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