Sage Hill falls in opener

NEWPORT COAST ? The Sage Hill School boys’ volleyball team has a tough act to follow after the Lightning girls’ volleyball squad won its first CIF championship, especially considering the boys won just two matches last year.

Sage Hill showed on Friday night that while the potential is there, the team is still developing. In the season opener for both squads, JSerra defeated the Lightning, 26-24, 25-20, 25-19, in a nonleague match.

Sage Hill Coach Merja Connolly-Freund was out sick for the match. Taking over the coaching duties was not a big problem for assistant Dan Thomassen, head coach of the aforementioned girls’ team. Thomassen joined the staff to help Connolly-Freund get the Lightning on the winning track.

“They feel like it’s their time to compete in league and get into the postseason,” Thomassen said.

The Lightning (0-1) almost came from behind to take the first game. Down, 24-22, Zach Singerman registered a kill off a set from Jake Lazere. On the next point, Will Fletcher and Singerman had digs, then Shane Webster produced a block to tie the score, 24-24.

But the Lightning couldn’t finish as JSerra ended the game with a kill and an ace.

The momentum seemed to spill over into the second game for JSerra, which had leads of 10-4 and 19-12 before putting the game away on a jump-serve ace by Taylor Krone.

“I think we had some good passing with Riley Tanner leading the way, and Kevin Physioc held things together for us,” JSerra Coach Troy Tanner said.

Bayle Smith led Sage Hill with six kills. Singerman and Michael Morgan had four kills each for the Lightning, who took a 2-0 lead in the third game after a kill by Smith, but lost the lead for good shortly thereafter.

Tim Hawkins led JSerra (1-0) with 10 kills.

“We were expecting to scramble around a bit in our first game, so I was happy with how we played,” Tanner said, “Even though we’re not a well-oiled machine right now.”

Despite getting swept, Thomassen was content with how the Lightning played.

“We knew going in that JSerra was a more experienced team,” Thomassen said. “But the guys had a good attitude today and learned a lot. I don’t think we’re even close to where we think we can be.”dpt-boysvolley04.IMGGraphicInfoC61OK6V720060304C61OK6V7No Caption