Sailors sweep, advance

NEWPORT BEACH — For the second time in five days, the Sailors played the Sea Kings.

No arch-rivals this time, like Friday’s Battle of the Bay in which the Newport Harbor High girls’ volleyball team swept past Corona del Mar.

Tuesday night, the Sailors were playing the Palos Verdes Sea Kings, of the Bay League, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs.

“Kind of ironic,” said Newport Harbor senior middle blocker Alex Penewell, who helped make sure the result would be the same.

Penewell had team highs of 12 kills and three blocks as the Sailors easily swept, 25-12, 25-8, 25-10, in a match that lasted just less than an hour. The Sailors (24-3) will play Long Beach Wilson in the second round, at a site to be determined today via coin flip.

Long Beach Wilson defeated Royal of Simi Valley, 25-10, 25-12, 23-25, 25-12, on Tuesday.

Penewell, a team captain headed to the University of Colorado, said the Sailors knew Palos Verdes (15-14) would probably be battle-tested. The Sea Kings finished fourth in their ultra competitive league, which was won by No. 1-seeded Mira Costa and also included No. 3-seeded Redondo Union, which advanced with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-12 victory over Trabuco Hills Tuesday.

“There have been good teams in the past that have lost in the first or second round,” Penewell said. “We just knew we had to play hard in every game. In the division we’re in, none of these teams are easy. You never know who your opponent’s going to be.”

Up, 13-10, in the opening game, the Sailors went on a blistering 12-2 run to take the game. That was despite the effort of Palos Verdes senior Shauna Maus, who had five kills in the first game and finished with a team-high seven.

Penewell also had five kills in the first game and was set up nicely all night by Tars senior setter Alesha Young (33 assists, 10 digs and three service aces). Senior opposite Megan Munce also had 12 kills, and junior Mary Buckingham had five kills and three blocks.

Senior Jamie Heenan had four kills, seven digs and two aces for the Tars, who impressed their longtime coach Dan Glenn.

“The kids are fired up for the playoffs,” Glenn said. “I’ve got a lot of seniors on this team. I really didn’t have to say anything to the kids.”

The Tars were even more impressive in the second game, storming to a 13-2 lead. Similarly in Game 3, Newport Harbor went up, 8-2, on a kill from Buckingham and cruised.

“I didn’t really know that much about [Palos Verdes],” Glenn said. “I knew they were good, but I knew we’d be fine if we executed on our side of the net. You don’t really like to go into matches blind, but sometimes the kids have to adjust. We really did a nice job executing tonight.”

Glenn also knows that the match against Long Beach Wilson should be tougher. He said the Bruins were ranked No. 6 in Division I-AA for much of the season.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.