Tired Tars not much of a match for Griffins

LOS ALAMITOS — Newport Harbor High’s girls volleyball match Tuesday ended in defeat. It was the Sailors’ first loss in five Sunset League matches. But neither fact was the most troubling part of the result.

The deeper horror: the Sailors’ loss to Los Alamitos was a sweep, 25-18, 27-25, 25-19.

In a league that features the defending Division I state champion in Los Alamitos, CIF Southern Section Division I-AA champion Esperanza and Division II-AA quarterfinalist Edison, a loss along the way is just short of expected.

But with four competitive teams, each a half-game out of first place midway through the season, and the league only guaranteeing three playoff spots, a tie-breaker might decide not only seeding but postseason plans.

After head to head it comes down to games won, making a sweep all the more costly.

“It might come back at the end to bite us in the behind,” Sailors’ Coach Dan Glenn said. “It’s tough to lose and not even get a game.”

And the sweep could have seemingly been avoided.

In the second game, the Sailors held game-point with a 24-21 advantage. But the Griffins’ height and experience came up big. Los Alamitos blocked a kill attempt and Geena Urango, the lanky All-CIF, second-team outside hitter, delivered back-to-back kills to tie the score.

The Sailors fought to another game point, but Urango returned with two straight kills and then Newport Harbor watched as a Los Alamitos serve landed just inside the backline for an ace and a commanding 2-0 lead.

“We have to get low,” junior Megan Munce said about how to combat the Griffins’ bevy of power hitters. “You have to expect the ball to come back to you. We thought we had them. We didn’t follow through though. We let up.”

The Sailors had plenty of reason to let up. They played five matches in the past five days, including consecutive days with two matches each at the California Challenge, which Newport Harbor finished third, losing only to San Jose Archbishop Mitty, the No. 9-ranked team in the nation.

“We knew we were tired, but that’s no excuse,” Munce said. “Afterward, we talked about coming off a tournament and not playing like we’re coming off a tournament.”

Glenn said the tournament, which regularly boasts many of the state’s top teams, was worth competing in amid the heart of the league season.

“We got to play some really good teams,” Glenn said. “I hope that helps us out.”

Of the three teams the Sailors faced at the tourney, they defeated Marymount, ranked No. 3 in Division I-AA, in five games.

Meanwhile, Los Alamitos, the No. 6-ranked team in Division I, was licking its wounds after suffering a sweep of its own at the hands of No. 5-ranked Esperanza almost a week ago.

“They’re the state champs and they’re coming off a three-game loss; we have to play better,” Glenn said. “You have to really beat a champion.”

The Griffins displayed more savvy in the third game as well. The Sailors held a 17-14 lead when Los Alamitos went on a 9-0 run to take back control. Three times points ended with blocks for the Griffins.

Los Alamitos starts two 6-3 hitters — Christine Douglas and Bethany Keisner — and a 6-foot middle blocker, Riley Cropper. The height created problems for Newport’s hitters and made it easier on the Griffins’ backline to keep the ball in play.

“We didn’t win the long rallies tonight,” Glenn said. “We just didn’t hang in there. They out-patiented us. They weren’t winning on attacking. They just kept it up in the air and waited for us to make an error, which we did.”

The Sailors also had issues with their serve, with six errors in the final two games.

Munce led the Sailors with eight kills. Senior Megan Toman recorded seven, junior Alex Penewell had six, junior Jamie Heenan had six and senior Katie Wells added four.

Junior Alesha Young had 26 assists and 11 digs, while Penewell had a team-high five blocks.