Local quartet named to All-CIF first team

Newport Harbor High senior setter Kyle Caldwell and senior opposite Tucker Peleuses earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball team honors while Corona del Mar senior middle blocker Gus Ellis and senior outside hitter Jeff Carlson made the Division II first team, and Sage Hill School junior outside hitter Bayle Smith the Division V first team.

The UCLA-bound Caldwell and USC-bound Peleuses played instrumental roles in helping the Sailors win the Sunset League championship and also reach the CIF Southern Section Division I championship match. Newport Harbor finished 31-4, 10-0 in league, and ranked No. 5 in the country in the final studentsports.com poll.

The Stanford-bound Ellis and USC-bound Carlson led the Sea Kings to a Pacific Coast League championship and to the CIF Southern Section Division II semifinals. CdM (26-7, 8-0 in league) was ranked No. 11 in the country.

The 6-foot-8 Caldwell, the Sunset League MVP, totaled 751 assists, 224 kills, 81 digs, 63 blocks and 63 services aces. He had 51 assists in the Sailors’ five-game loss to Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach in the section title match at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Peleuses, a first-team All-Sunset League pick, led the team with 328 kills to go with 68 digs, 49 blocks and 10 aces.

Ellis, the Pacific Coast League MVP, finished with 237 kills, 73 blocks, 37 digs and five service aces for CdM.

Carlson led the Sea Kings with 289 kills, and had 171 digs, 50 aces and 22 blocks.

Smith, the Academy League Co-MVP, helped Sage Hill to its first 10-0 undefeated league championship season as well as to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. Smith led the Lightning with 192 kills, 41 aces and 27 blocks.

Newport Harbor, CdM and Sage Hill had players earn second-team honors in their respective divisions.

For the Sailors it was UC Santa Barbara-bound senior outside hitter Mark Liebermann and senior middle blocker Max Volz. Liebermann had 243 kills, 53 aces, 39 digs and 37 blocks. Volz finished with 174 kills, 58 blocks, 31 digs and 21 aces.

CdM senior libero Spencer Brown made it in Division II. He finished with 256 digs.

Sage Hill sophomore outside hitter Joey Booth earned a spot in Division V after finishing with 156 kills, 92 digs, 31 blocks and 17 aces.

CdM junior middle blocker Dylan Davis received third-team honors.

Sophomore libero Mattias Russo-Larsson of Sage Hill made the third team in Division V.

— From staff reports