Sailors beaten by Griffins in five

NEWPORT BEACH — On top of the balcony section at Newport Harbor High, girls’ volleyball coach Dan Glenn sat with his 3-year-old daughter at his side.

The view from atop before the match against Los Alamitos was clear. The two Sunset League giants stood on center court.

When it was all over, Glenn’s daughter asked, “Daddy, where did the volleyball girls go?”

“They went home,” Glenn responded, his daughter knowing the reason why.

No follow up question.

No reason for the Sailors to stick around. Their comeback from being down two games fell short, with the Griffins winning, 25-11, 25-21, 16-25, 17-25, 15-13, and celebrating on Newport Harbor’s court as if it belonged to them.

Quite a show, one Glenn never tires watching.

“I know they play with a certain kind of attitude, which I like, I mean, I respect,” said the coach in his 22nd year. “They’ve won state championships quite a few times, so you’re going to have to go out and beat them. In the first two games, we didn’t do that. I just thought we panicked a little bit.”

The Sailors (16-3, 3-1 in league), ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I-AA, looked flustered at the start of the match.

The fourth-ranked Griffins (23-4, 4-0) used a 13-year-old, freshman outside hitter Jane Croson, and bench player, junior outside hitter Brianna Dixion, to rattle Newport Harbor. The two programs shared the league crown last year, but with the scoreboard lighting up in Los Alamitos’ favor, Dixion made up her mind before the outcome.

“We knew we were going to win,” she said, not for one minute doubting herself even after Newport Harbor stormed back.

The Sailors looked as they’d pull it off, up, 10-7, in the fifth game. Jamie Heenan had just recorded one of her 14 kills before first-year coach Dave Huber gave a player a rag to dry off the wet spots on the Griffins’ side.

If the Griffins ever needed a momentum-stopper, they got one. The downtime allowed them to regroup. Croson came in for Dixion, right away hammering one of her team-high 15 kills to cut the deficit. A service ace tied the fifth game, 10-10, and Glenn called for a timeout.

Nothing good came out of it. Newport Harbor committed a net violation, followed up by allowing another ace. This time no Sailor touched the ball, and even though opposite Megan Munce, battling a sprained ankle, tied it at 12-12 on a dump, Glenn knew his Sailors were in trouble.

What followed was a Newport Harbor serve going out as Los Al recorded three of the last four points for the win.

“When you’re getting two sideouts at crunch time with missed serves, that takes a little pressure off them. I think we just kind of let them hang around,” said Glenn, whose team split the two-match series last year with Los Alamitos. “There’s more to this league than worrying about Los [Alamitos]. We’ve got to make sure we take care of business and then we have a shot at them the next time we play them [on Oct. 30].

“We got Los [Alamitos] after we go to [the] Santa Barbara [Tournament], which isn’t the best situation for us. I hate losing, but I love playing them. I wish we can play them every night.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.