Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball digs deep to beat rival CdM

Cheers and gasps cascaded down to the floor of the gymnasium with each swing that came late in the first set Wednesday at Newport Harbor High School.

One of high school boys’ volleyball’s most celebrated rivalries did not disappoint, as the first meeting in the Battle of the Bay series delivered a set for the ages.

Jake Read had a match-high 30 kills, leading Newport Harbor over Corona del Mar 36-34, 26-24, 20-25, 25-15 in front of a raucous crowd that had filed in to catch the Surf League contest.

As the extended first set carried on, the sides showed exceptional ability in serve receive, giving themselves the chance to go on the offensive to wipe out set points.

Corona del Mar’s George Bruening goes up high to put the ball past Newport’s Lukas Johnson (21) during the Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball match on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Read broke the deadlock with a service ace that could not be controlled and wound up in the Newport Harbor student section, to the delight of the Sailors’ faithful.

“It felt great,” said Read, who turned to his bench to celebrate after clinching Game 1. “It felt great getting that final ace in that first set. I was pretty tired after those long rallies, and it felt good getting the final point.”

Newport Harbor (17-4, 2-0 in the Surf League), the No. 7-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 and 2 combined poll, has won four in a row.

Sailors coach Eric Vallely shared his thoughts on what it takes to stay in and come out ahead in marathon games like the first set against the Sea Kings.

Newport Harbor’s Riggs Guy (5) kills a ball past the block of Corona del Mar’s Ethan Pliha (7) during the Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball match on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“I think the secret is just refusing to die,” Vallely said. “You’ve got to battle each point as if it’s your last one, and whether you’re down or you’re up, it’s never over. That’s one of the neatest things about this game…you’ve got to finish every single point.

“Our guys hung in there. They battled hard, and credit to them, when things weren’t going exactly the way we hoped they would, they hung in there and fought.”

Sophomore opposite Riggs Guy had 16 kills for Newport Harbor. Junior Luca Curci, a UCLA-bound outside hitter, pounded out 15 kills to go with nine digs, six aces and three blocks. Senior middle blocker James Eadie, a Pepperdine commit, had 15 kills and three blocks. Senior libero Sean McCarthy had 10 digs.

Corona del Mar’s Jake Olson (10) puts a kill past Newport’s Lukas Johnson (21) during the Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball match on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“It’s super fun playing with everyone, especially at a high level,” Curci said. “Eventually, we’ll all play Division 1. Maybe not together, but we’ll all play against each other, and we’ll see each other. It’s fun to have that.”

Sterling Foley had a team-high 14 kills and three blocks for CdM (10-4, 0-1), which is tied with Beckman for the No. 3 ranking in the top division. George Bruening contributed 11 kills and four blocks, Ethan Pliha had 10 kills and three blocks, and Jake Olson added nine kills and three blocks. Jordan Cortens distributed 44 assists for the Sea Kings.

Katey Thompson has taken the reins as head coach of the CdM boys’ volleyball program. Thompson won a CIF Southern Section Division 1AA and a CIF State Division I title for Newport Harbor in 2009. While she admits it may feel odd to coach for the rival school, all the things that make the rivalry special remain intact.

Newport Harbor’s James Eadie (26) celebrates a big point with teammates Luca Curci (18) and Riggs Guy (5) during the Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball match against Corona del Mar on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“The best part is the atmosphere and coming and playing in this gym in front of this crowd,” Thompson said of the Battle of the Bay. “That’s the best part about volleyball, whether it’s high school, whether it’s college, whether it’s after that.

“That’s something that I want our boys to get used to and really feed off, and most importantly, turn back towards their team. That’s what we’ve harped on the entire year so far is playing as a unit, playing as a team. The first and second sets, we were right there — had some critical errors — but third set, we came out like a team, and that fourth set, unfortunately we didn’t.”

Newport Harbor setter Cole McKibbin (2) runs down a ball during the Battle of the Bay boys’ volleyball match against Corona del Mar on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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