CdM sweeps Pacifica

CORONA DEL MAR — Corona del Mar High Coach Steve Conti knows what he has in junior setters Connor Bannan and Michael Ensign.

“There are some things that Connor gives us that maybe Michael doesn’t,” he said. “There are some things that [Michael] gives us that maybe Connor doesn’t.”

In the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division II boys’ volleyball playoffs, Conti didn’t have to worry about Ensign passing along a bug Friday.

Ensign started against visiting Pacifica of Oxnard because Conti said Bannan was at home with the flu and a 104-degree temperature.

The No. 3-seeded Sea Kings didn’t miss a beat in their first step toward defending the section title. They easily beat Pacifica, 25-12, 25-12, 25-16, advancing to Tuesday’s second round.

By then, Conti is hoping Bannan is healthy and ready to play.

CdM (24-7) will stay closer to home when it faces Santa Ana (19-3), which swept Righetti of Santa Maria Friday to advance. A coin-flip today will determine which school plays host to the match.

Whoever gets it, CdM, the Pacific Coast League champ, or Santa Ana, the Golden West League champ, Conti is just relieved the match will be in Orange County and not in Santa Barbara County.

“I got a lot of guys that [might have] missed [Advanced Placement] exams,” said Conti, referring to players having to reschedule their tests to accommodate the playoffs. “That’s kind of a tough thing, because the tests [are] so hard to get ready for.”

In their first test on the court, the Sea Kings passed with flying colors.

Pacifica (9-9) never came up with answers to CdM’s towering front line of 6-foot-6 senior Gus Ellis and 6-8 junior Dylan Davis, and senior big hitter Jeff Carlson.

Ensign set them up early, finishing with 21 assists.

At the end, the stats weren’t mind blowing for Ellis (four kills, two service aces), Davis (five kills) and Carlson (seven kills, one ace). But that’s because Conti went to the bench early.

Everyone got to play, 16 players in all. If Conti wanted, he could’ve made a player out of the high school paper’s senior reporter sitting in the stands.

Ellis, headed to Stanford, appreciated the rest.

“Especially early in the [playoffs] of CIF, it’s always nice,” he said.

There’s more work ahead after being the second straight team to bounce Pacifica out of the first round.

Next is Santa Ana, a team CdM cruised to a three-game sweep in last year’s opening round. Conti remembers it well. It was the start of Conti’s run at claiming his fourth section crown as the boys’ coach, and the program’s sixth overall.

Making sure everyone is ready to contribute at any time is crucial to reaching the top again. Ensign proved he was.

“It’s a change,” he said of the lineup, which had Bannan starting until he came down with the flu Thursday. “But you tell your guys all year long, ‘You never know when someone is going to get [sick], or injured. That’s why as a backup, you got to come in and work hard every day in practice. You just never know when your number is going to get called.’

“Ensign has worked very hard, and we’ve used him quite a bit. Michael’s been able to get some experience in some crucial matches, which I think gave him a pretty good comfort level out there.”

Ensign definitely looked calm and cool out on the court.

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