Breakers dominate the court

For the second time in the past five days, two south county powerhouse programs met in boys’ volleyball.

And just as it did on Saturday, Laguna Beach rocked San Clemente on the court.

The Breakers again got the best of the visiting Tritons Wednesday by winning three of five games, 25-20, 29-27, 23-25, 19-25, 15 -11, at Dugger Gym.

Five days prior, Laguna had defeated San Clemente 2-1 to win their pool at the Orange County Championships tournament at Fountain Valley High.

“It feels great to come back and win again,” said Laguna Coach Lance Stewart.

“This is also the first time this season we’ve played five games [in a match], so it’s nice to have that in our pocket and draw from that experience.”

The Breakers came out strong at the onset of the first match and consistently came up with good plays in the first two games.

Each time San Clemente would challenge with a series of blocks, the Breakers would counter the attack.

Having survived a close second game, Laguna came up short in the third game, with its lead cut to 2-1, then lost steam in the fourth game before coming back strong to wrap up the match.

Shawn Merz and Cooper Gwaltney had 27 and 22 kills, respectively. Clay Knapp and Chris Reames had 10 digs, with Knapp also recording 58 assists.

Mike Kahl had two aces.

Stewart said he was proud his team’s performance at the OC Championships, and of their defeat against the No. 1, Division II team, Corona del Mar.

“It feels good to come off the Corona game and beat another team that’s almost as talented,” he said.

Laguna’s big week began on March 13 when the Breakers played at No. 1-ranked Corona del Mar.

That ranking did little to deter the Breakers from scoring a 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19 win that knocked the Sea Kings off their perch atop the Division II poll.

Merz and Gwaltney had 25 and 24 kills, respectively, Reames had 14 digs and Knapp 54 set assists as Laguna picked up an impressive triumph.

The teams met again a few days later at the 34th annual Orange County Championships tournament and the Sea Kings swept the Breakers, winning 25-22, 25-18, in the quarterfinal round of the Gold Division at Edison High.

In the Gold Division’s fifth-place semifinal match, Laguna was edged by Los Alamitos, which rallied for a 23-25, 25-13, 15-9 win over the Breakers.

Los Alamitos is ranked fifth in Division I.

Also at the tournament, Laguna picked up pool play sweeps in wins over Fountain Valley and JSerra.

Laguna begins its quest for a repeat Orange Coast League championship Monday, when the Breakers will play host Estancia. First game begins at 5 p.m.

On Wednesday, Laguna faces another stiff nonleague challenge when the Breakers play at Newport Harbor.

The Sailors are the No. 4 team in Division I. Match time is 5:30 p.m.

Mike Sciacca contributed to this story.