Woodbridge douses Sailors’ title hopes

IRVINE ? The Newport Harbor High boys’ volleyball team’s lofty expectations took a hit on Thursday in its Sea View League match against host Woodbridge.

The Sailors, gunning for a league title, surrendered their chances of attaining that goal by losing to the Warriors, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-15. It marked Newport Harbor’s second loss to Woodbridge this season and has the team sitting in second place in the Sea View League, where it will probably stay with two league matches remaining ? one against Foothill and one against Laguna Hills.

Woodbridge is undefeated in league at 8-0 with two matches left. Newport Harbor, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division I, is 20-8, 6-2 in league.

The Warriors won the first meeting in three games on March 23.

The Warriors’ superior serving and the standout play of 6-foot-5 senior Kent Kraushaar ended up being the big differences in the match, but spectators wouldn’t have known it was going to go that way in game one. Newport Harbor senior outside hitter Brett Auer had six kills in the first game, including one to open the game and one to close it.

Newport Harbor never trailed in the first game after taking a 7-6 lead on a kill by Auer and extending it on an ace by senior Jonsen Carmack.

The Warriors pulled to within 12-11 before the Sailors went on an 11-4 run. Accurate passing and good decision-making by senior setter Ted Slater sparked the run.

“We did a good job of getting a lead and keeping it in the first game,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “In the second game, we made a couple of unforced errors, which gave them a little bit of a window.”

Kraushaar had eight of his match-high 21 kills in the second game. Serves that sailed too long and errant hits by Newport Harbor helped the Warriors run away with the game.

In the third game, the Sailors led as late as 14-13 before Woodbridge took the lead for good. While the Warriors were able to come from behind when they had to, the Sailors were unable to do the same, similar to how the first match played out.

“When they go ahead, we’ve had a hard time coming back against them,” Glenn said. “We never came back from a deficit in the first match, either. Both matches, they outfought us, which is the most disappointing thing.”

Woodbridge steamrolled a Newport Harbor team that appeared deflated in the lopsided fourth game.

Auer led Newport Harbor with 11 kills, Weston Dunlap had nine kills and Kyle Caldwell added eight kills for the Sailors in a losing effort.

“The first game, we were a little jittery,” Woodbridge Coach Donnie Rafter said. “It was our first match back from spring break and we made some mistakes early, then we steadied out. We didn’t go on any huge runs, but we didn’t let them go on any runs either ? and our serving was huge.”

The fact that it was Senior Night and the opponent was Newport Harbor was enough to have the Warriors playing with intensity.

“They are Newport Harbor, you always want to beat the big teams,” Rafter said. “We were fired up.”

Newport Harbor will attempt to get back on track when it plays at Foothill on Tuesday.dpt-nhvolley28.IMGGraphicInfoNA1QDVTT20060428NA1QDVTTNo Captiondpt.28-vb-nhvwood-1-kt-BPhotoInfo3I1QDVNH20060428iyezuincKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Harbor’s Sean Grubbs stretches out to dig the ball during Thursday’s Sea View League match against Woodbridge. The Sailors lost in four games.