Sailors near perfect

NEWPORT BEACH — Coming into the year, Hamilton Day heard the doubters.

“A lot of people didn’t think that we were going to live up to last year’s team,” Day said. “We just want to prove them wrong.”

The Newport Harbor High boys’ volleyball team is one Sunset League win away from doing so. The Sailors are almost there to being perfect again in league.

Newport Harbor clinched its second straight outright league championship and Day made sure of it Tuesday. Day had his best day since the season opener, helping the host Sailors sweep Edison, 25-16, 29-27, 33-31.

Day, who finished with eight kills, five blocks and two service aces, has Newport Harbor looking forward to Thursday, the league finale. The Sailors can close out league play at 10-0 and in front of the home crowd against Fountain Valley.

By the way, can it get any better for Day, or the seven other seniors, that Thursday is senior night?

“It’s a good position to be in,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said.

The Sailors (22-7, 9-0 in league) need to keep winning. They’re ranked No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll, and with the playoff pairings being announced Monday, the Sailors can’t afford to let up.

Two more matches are left in the regular season, the Barons Thursday, followed by Friday’s Battle of the Bay at rival Corona del Mar, ranked No. 6.

“It’s going to come down to Friday night,” Glenn said. “If [the Sea Kings] beat us, they’re going to be No. 5 and we’re going to be No. 6. I don’t think either of us can go any higher than that and I don’t think either of us should go any lower than that.”

If the Sailors win out, they will enter the postseason on a roll.

Things are beginning to take form like last year, when Newport Harbor advanced to the section championship. Glenn is just thrilled to see his players playing well, especially at home against a quality program.

Edison (15-11, 6-3) went into the match with an opportunity to possibly make things interesting in league if it won out and Newport Harbor dropped its final two league games.

From the start, the Sailors ended any thought of possibly sharing the league crown. They took it to the Chargers in the opening game, jumping out to a 21-9 lead on a Day block.

During the Sailors’ 7-0 run, outside hitter Cody Caldwell blasted a couple of kills, finishing with 18 kills.

“We started really slow and we can’t afford to do that,” Edison Coach Brian Boone said. “I don’t know what we were thinking, but we didn’t come out well in Game 1. It was just a lack of focus and some of my seniors paid the price.

“By going 8-0 at this stage, [the Sailors were] already … ahead of us [going into Tuesday]. There was no way for us to really catch up to them. We needed somebody to step up and help.”

The next two games saw Edison rally.

Torey Darin gave the Chargers a chance with his left-handed shot. He finished with 12 kills, but it was Day, Caldwell, JB Green (seven kills), or Will Connelly (four kills) responding for Newport Harbor.

The third game featured nine match points. Connelly put it away with a block, allowing Glenn to say something about the Sailors he hasn’t said this year.

“We played a good match at home,” Glenn said.

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