Breakers No. 1 so far

The first round of the Orange Coast League boys’ volleyball race has come to the conclusion that the Laguna Beach Breakers are No. 1 so far.

Laguna capped a three-match league stretch with another sweep — this one coming at the expense of visiting Calvary Chapel, 25-23, 25-20, 25-16, at Dugger Gymnasium.

The win lifted the Breakers, who also swept Costa Mesa and Estancia prior to defeating Calvary Chapel, to 3-0 in league.

Laguna has now won four consecutive matches, all by sweep. The streak began March 21 with a nonleague win at San Clemente.

“They’re a very good volleyball team,” Laguna Coach Lance Stewart said of Calvary Chapel who, ironically, the Breakers played on Good Friday. “We had to make plays in order to beat them. It was good for us to get pushed like that.”

Another balanced effort saw senior Blair Bigelow led Laguna with 13 kills. Shawn Merz had eight kills and Cooper Gwaltney and Michael Kahl each had seven kills.

Bigelow now has a team-high 39 kills in league play and 157 overall. Merz is second with 21 (140 overall).

Clay Knapp had 39 assists, to up his league total to 92.

Knapp also has 24 digs in league matches, second to team-leader Chris Reames who has 28.

“I’ve been impressed with our play lately,” Stewart said. “Clay Knapp is starting to get back into the rhythm of playing setter. He plays a different position for his club team eight months out of the year, but he’s really coming around and we need him to be more of a leader.

“For a sophomore, Cooper Gwaltney is starting to become more consistent. He’s more than held his own against some of the top players we’ve faced. And Shawn Merz, a junior, I don’t think he realizes how good he can be. He’s second on this team in kills and has a lot of potential.”

The Breakers practiced Monday and Tuesday but had the rest of their spring break off from the gym.

They return to the court Tuesday (4:45 p.m.) to host Costa Mesa at Dugger Gymnasium as the second-round of league begins.

The remainder of the Breakers’ schedule is nothing but league games, except for an alumni match scheduled for May 4.

“I’ve said it before, but the key for us to continue to be successful is to remain consistent in our play,” Stewart said. “We need to work on cutting down unforced errors, get to the right spot on the court and communicate. We need to be at our best, whether we are playing Calvary Chapel or Corona del Mar. If we can do those things, we’ll be successful.”

In boys’ tennis

As it had in its previous Orange Coast League outing, Laguna used stellar doubles play to defeat visiting Estancia, 10-8.

The Breakers scored nine of their 10 points in doubles action. In their previous league match against Calvary Chapel, they scored eight points in doubles play that led to a 10-8 win.

Laguna returns to the court Tuesday to for a league match at Costa Mesa. On Thursday, the Breakers will host Calvary Chapel.