Breakers can’t grab win

Having yet to crack the win column in the 11-day old prep boys’ volleyball season, the Laguna Beach Breakers came close to nabbing its first victory Wednesday (March 5) but couldn’t close the deal against visiting Woodbridge.

The Breakers won the first game, had the Warriors on the brink of defeat in game 2 but lost that game — and the two that followed — as Woodbridge came away with a 20-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-20 victory at Dugger Gym.

After taking game 1, Laguna held a 24-22 lead in the second game and was looking for a 2-0 lead in the match, but the Warriors scored the final four points to draw even.

“We had them on the ropes,” Laguna Coach Lance Stewart said of a veteran Woodbridge team that has 13 seniors on its roster. “We’re not ready to win matches against really good teams. We’ve got to play from start to finish with the same intensity, whether the score is 3-2 or 24-22. But we’ll get there.”

Woodbridge came into the season ranked fifth in the Division I poll, the same spot Laguna held in the Division II poll.

Lorenzo Torriero, Mike Kahl and Scotty Chapel each finished with nine kills for Laguna and Shawn Merz had eight kills.

Cooper Gwaltney finished with seven kills and Clay Knapp had 29 assists.

Chapel, a middle blocker, was inserted into the lineup for Wednesday’s game and proved to be a boost to the Breakers.

“He had a really nice night,” Stewart said. “For a sophomore, he really stepped it up and was very effective.

“Our middles hit for a real nice percentage in the game.”

Previously, Laguna took on Huntington Beach in nonleague play last Friday (Feb. 29) and Huntington edged the Breakers in a close match, 26-28, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22.

The loss left the Breakers at 0-2, but Laguna still leads the all-time series with the Oilers, 13-12.

Torriero had 20 kills for Laguna. Gwaltney and Merz had 18 and 16 kills, respectively.

Kahl had 15 digs, Gwaltney 11 digs and Knapp 54 assists.

“We dug ourselves into a deep hole in game 3 and 4,” Stewart said. “We fought back and were in a position to win both of those games. We just didn’t make the plays.

“We have five attackers, and only three are giving us consistent numbers. As soon as we start getting consistency across the board from all five, which we will, we will be a tough team to handle. Our blocking also needs a lot of work. That will come around as we play more matches.”

On Saturday (March 8), Laguna will compete at the Foothill Tournament.

The one-day event features 33 teams and will run all day at the Foothill, Tustin, El Modena and Irvine high gymnasiums.

Seven pools of four teams and one pool with five teams, make up the tournament bracket.

Laguna’s pool includes Aliso Niguel, Saugus and Tustin.

The Breakers open tournament play at 8 a.m. against Saugus.

The top two teams in each pool advance to the gold medal playoffs.

For the past few years, Laguna has played in the Best of the West Tournament in Poway.

This year, they return to a tournament where the Breakers have had past success.

“We won it my first two years of coaching here,” Stewart said. “It’s not as strong as the Best of the West Tournament, but it’s a good tournament and it suits us better this year.”

Next week, Laguna meets longtime rival Corona del Mar, the top-ranked team in Division II, on Wednesday (March 12). The nonleague match begins at 5:30 p.m. on the Sea Kings’ home court.