Sea Kings can’t hold on

CYPRESS ? With several guys playing key roles for the first time this season, the Corona del Mar High boys’ volleyball team surprised a lot of people by capturing a share of the Pacific Coast League title and reaching the CIF Southern Section Division II championship match.

But it was lack of experience that may have doomed the Sea Kings in a 19-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18, 15-9 loss to Valencia High of Valencia in the division final at Cypress College on Saturday.

The Sea Kings (27-6) could do no wrong in the first two games. But when the Vikings gained momentum in game three, they never relinquished it.

“The difference was we controlled the match for two games and they were able to control it for three games,” Corona del Mar Coach Steve Conti said.

Corona del Mar, seeded No. 2 in Division II, had just three seniors on its roster and one senior starter in middle blocker Scott Slaughter. No. 1-seeded Valencia, which fell in three games to the Sea Kings in last year’s final, had 10 seniors on its roster.

The experience factor was nonexistent in the first two games as the Sea Kings worked the ball to the middle early and often, letting Slaughter and sophomore middle blocker Gus Ellis get most of the swings. Ellis’ kill gave Corona del Mar a 15-12 lead in the first game.

The Sea Kings did not get a kill from anyone other than a middle blocker until late in the game, when junior outside hitter Adam Smith (seven kills) delivered one from the back row to give Corona del Mar a 19-14 lead. Smith followed with an ace.

Slaughter’s kill gave the Sea Kings a 24-18 lead. The game went to Corona del Mar when Valencia senior Neil Benveniste hit the ball wide on a kill attempt.

The Sea Kings trailed most of the second game, but battled back to tie the score, 18-18, on consecutive kills by Slaughter. Corona del Mar took its first lead of the game when sophomore Spencer Brown made a diving dig on a kill attempt by Benveniste, which led to a kill by Smith and a 19-18 lead for the Sea Kings.

Slaughter’s block gave the Sea Kings a 20-18 lead. A no-look reverse dump by Valencia senior setter Kevin Ker brought the Vikings to within 24-22, but senior Teddy Goetz’s jump serve flew into the net and the Sea Kings were ahead two games to none.

Game-three letdowns when going for the sweep are common in volleyball, but the Vikings never let the Sea Kings back up after their convincing game-three win. By that time, the Vikings were keying on Slaughter (team-high 12 kills) and having some success. They also turned their game up a notch in the face of defeat.

“The biggest thing is they started serving a lot tougher and our ball control dropped off,” Conti said. “And as the match went on, they adjusted to us. They put two guys on Slaughter and were getting some blocks.”

In game four, the score was tied, 8-8, when the Vikings went on a 9-3 run. The Sea Kings pulled to within four points down the stretch, but never got closer.

Inconsistent serving also hurt the Sea Kings’ chances of rallying. A block by outside hitter Jamey Ker and a kill down the line by senior opposite hitter Ryan Worth gave the Vikings the game-four win.

“We may have showed our youth on the court,” Conti said. “We may have gotten a little rattled. At times, our decision-making wasn’t what it could be.”

The Sea Kings couldn’t halt the momentum in the fifth game. Corona del Mar fell behind, 2-0, after Jamey Ker’s block and a net violation and never had a lead. The Sea Kings pulled as close as 11-7 after a well-placed tip by Ellis, but three unforced errors down the stretch kept Corona del Mar from making it close.

“We wanted it more,” Valencia senior middle blocker Teddy Goetz said. “We knew we could come back, we just had to keep sticking it to them.”

Junior Blaine Nielsen had 10 kills and Phil Bannan dished out 42 assists in a losing cause.

“Valencia was a really hungry team because we’re the team that knocked them out of it last year,” Conti said.

Conti said he was extremely proud of what his team accomplished this season.

“I think this team overachieved,” he said.

The Sea Kings lose Slaughter, David Yi and Brian Baldwin from this year’s team, but otherwise return the core of the roster. With so much experience returning, another title run next season appears to be a a good possibility, perhaps with Valencia waiting at the end too.

“We could be in the same position Valencia was in, looking for revenge,” Conti said.MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Corona del Mar’s Adam Smith, left, hits by the block of Valencia’s Jamey Ker, right, during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division II boys’ volleyball final at Cypress College. After winning the first two games, the Sea Kings lost in five games in a rematch of the 2005 Division II championship.dpt-cdmvolley28.IMGGraphicInfo7U1RDTS2200605287U1RDTS2No Captiondpt.28-cdm-volley-2-CPhotoInfo7H1RDTLR20060528izygylncPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Above, Santa Monica’s Ari Feldman, left, hits over the block of Costa Mesa’s Mitch Caldwell, center, and Trevor Smith, right, in the Division III final at Cypress College. Below left, Corona del Mar’s Brad McCoy attempts to hit past the block of Valencia’s Jamey Ker in the Division II championship match. Below right, the Sea Kings’ David Yi gets hit in the chest making a dig. dpt.28-cm-volley-2-CPhotoInfo7H1RDTJC20060528izyh2ancPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Above, Santa Monica’s Ari Feldman, left, hits over the block of Costa Mesa’s Mitch Caldwell, center, and Trevor Smith, right, in the Division III final at Cypress College. Below left, Corona del Mar’s Brad McCoy attempts to hit past the block of Valencia’s Jamey Ker in the Division II championship match. Below right, the Sea Kings’ David Yi gets hit in the chest making a dig. dpt.28-cdm-volley-5-CPhotoInfo7H1RDTHS20060528izyh0onc(LA)dpt.28-cdm-volley-6-CPhotoInfo7H1RDUSG20060528izyh1hnc(LA)