Sea Kings get 2nd championship title in three years

NORWALK— There was the finesse kill, a soft push over the net from Gus Ellis, that put Corona del Mar High within one point of the state title.

Then came the serve from Sam Stafford, and a set from Phil Bannan, but an opposing dig sent the ball sailing back to the Sea Kings.

Another set from Bannan, and THWACK!

Ellis hit the last kill of his junior year with the force of a Mortal Kombat villain and finished the Santa Barbara Dons for good Saturday afternoon.

The top-seeded Sea Kings (33-2) defeated the Dons (24-3), 25-23, 25-21, 30-32, 27-25, to win the CIF Southern Section Division II volleyball championship at Cerritos College, their second in three years.

It was CdM’s fourth championship title in the 12 years Steve Conti has coached there.

“Gus Ellis is a great offensive middle blocker,” Conti said. “I kind of told Phil [Bannan] at the end of the game to make sure we get the ball in the guy’s hands who’s been real successful.”

Ellis finished with a team-high 20 kills, and four blocks.

What set this title apart, Conit said, were the challenges CdM had to overcome to get to the final. Senior Adam Smith was a four-year starter before he tore ligaments in his left hand, a season-ending injury.

“Blaine’s [Nielsen] been beat up all year,” Conti said. “There was a short period when Jeff [Carlson] was out. We had a day in practice when Tyler Johnson broke two teeth, punctured a hole in his lip, and had to get stitches. There’s a myriad of things.”

Ultimately, the difficult road proved to be the fruitful one for the Sea Kings (33-2). They faced a large, energetic crowd in Goleta for the semifinals. The Sea Kings won in five games, winning the first game, then losting the next two.

“Just having to play on the road with that crowd that Dos Pueblos had — they had a real positive crowd — that got us a little rattled,” Conti said.

“It makes us a little more comfortable the next time we get in that situation. That’s not a situation you can create in practice,” he added.

Click here to see more photos of the CIF title match.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.