Sailors stuff Esperanza

NEWPORT BEACH — Four weeks ago, the Newport Harbor High boys’ volleyball team was swept at Esperanza. Simply put, it did not sit well with the Sailors.

Tuesday was an opportunity for the Tars to wipe their hands clean of that embarrassment and deliver the Aztecs their first Sunset League loss. This opportunity would not be wasted.

After jumping out to a quick two-set lead, the Sailors dropped the third set and found themselves in a 16-11 hole in the fourth set. Coach Dan Glenn called a timeout and urged his players to get into the right position and go get the ball.

“Just react,” he yelled at his players.

Newport Harbor took that and went on a 10-5 run. The Sailors closed out the fourth set strong and won the match, 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21.

“We got kind of embarrassed in their gym a few weeks ago,” Glenn said. “We got beat three straight so we just came out tonight and played full boat the entire time. I was really proud of the kids for that.”

Glenn has more than a few reasons to be excited after Tuesday.

Newport Harbor (10-5, 5-2 in league) kept its league title hopes alive and beat the No. 2-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll.

In addition, even on the brink of a fifth game against the top team in the league, the Sailors, ranked No. 7 in CIF Division I, were noticeably composed and positive down stretch.

The late fourth-set run was anchored by the serving, as Cody Caldwell and Rusty Sary were able to block out the boisterous Esperanza (15-4, 6-1) fans and combined for three aces on six serve attempts.

But the real momentum shift came at the net. After a Caldwell kill brought Newport Harbor within 17-16, Will Connelly smothered an Esperanza hitter to get a solo block and on the very next point combined with Caldwell to block yet another Aztec attempt and take the lead, 18-17.

Toward the end of the fourth set, as it became apparent the Sailors were running away with the match, smiles began to flash and high-fives turned into hugs.

“The kids did a really nice job of not getting too down,” Glenn said. “[They] really played in the moment which is something we don’t always do. They did a great job of staying focused and playing point for point. We dug some really nice balls and that kept the ball in play which forced some errors but everyone played well tonight. It was a total team effort.”

It was a team effort indeed but Caldwell went above and beyond on Tuesday. Along with being involved in almost every play in down the stretch, he put home 17 kills and three aces. This performance came after being sidelined for Friday’s loss to Fountain Valley for academic reasons. He did not take the time off leisurely.

“I wasn’t ineligible but I had a bad grade in a class and [Glenn] didn’t want me to play,” Caldwell explained after the game. “So I did some extra work over the weekend and got it back up and everything is good now.”

Everything is good now, but in less than a week and a half, everything could be great. With three league matches left, this win puts Caldwell and the Sailors in position to share a league title and earn a good seeding going into the postseason.

Esperanza will play Edison Friday. Newport will need Edison to win and take care of business at Los Alamitos.

“This was a big win,” Caldwell said. “We are going to have to get some help from Edison to give [Esperanza] the loss but hopefully that’s the league title and a better seed in CIF.”

Caldwell will need the likes of his team to keep up Tuesday’s momentum. However, considering the performance on Tuesday, that should not be a problem.

Setter Jackson Carmack posted 36 assists, while libero Connor Curry had seven digs and landed three aces. Connelly finished with 12 digs and five total blocks, while Rusty Sary contributed five kills and three aces.