Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball keeps crown with sweep of CdM in CIF Division 1 final
For the first time, the Newport Harbor High boys’ volleyball program has won back-to-back CIF Southern Section championships.
Senior outside hitter Luca Curci had 17 kills, six digs and three blocks, as Newport Harbor made quick work of rival Corona del Mar 25-19, 25-22, 25-18 on Saturday night in the Division 1 final at Cerritos College.
Curci made good on a promise he had made to Newport Harbor principal Sean Boulton, that the Sailors would repeat as champions.
“I told him that before our first game,” Curci, a UCLA commit, said of the interaction. “I knew we had the weapons to do it. We just had to play our game.”
Newport Harbor (34-2) won its sixth section crown in its 12th appearance in the CIF finals. That was not the only area that the Sailors got even, as they are now 2-2 in section championship games against the Sea Kings. The Sailors have now played in the CIF finals in each of the past five seasons that the section has held playoffs, which did not include 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“You don’t ever know the path,” Newport Harbor coach Andrew Mabry said. “You can envision the path, you can envision a game plan, you can envision what it could feel like, but one thing we talked about this week is you can’t skip steps. You have to be committed to what we’re doing, you have to take care of it, every little detail, and the little things become big things.”
The path, as it played out, was a stifling defense that cut into the efficiency of UC Santa Barbara-bound opposite George Bruening (nine kills, three blocks) and USC-committed outside hitter Sterling Foley (12 kills, seven digs, two blocks) in the contest.
Senior outside hitter Jake Read had eight kills, including the title-clinching swing up the left sideline. The Loyola-Chicago commit added 12 digs and two service aces. Junior opposite Riggs Guy had nine kills, 10 digs, five blocks and two aces. Junior libero Walker Vaicek chipped in with 11 digs.
“We had a pretty good game plan for George,” Vaicek said. “We kind of shifted our defense over to the right because mostly he’s cross, and I was kind of set more to the right off the line. We had a pretty good game plan for him, especially with Sterling. … We had blocking calls that were specifically game planned for them, so I think that locked us in.”
Middle blockers Lukas Johnson (3½ blocks), a senior, and Jack Berry, a sophomore, had four kills apiece for the Sailors. Senior setter Korbin Francisco handed out 35 assists, and junior opposite Jack Von Der Ahe, a left-hander, provided critical serving pressure that led to a couple of runs.
Hundreds of Newport Harbor students had filled the middle of the stands to the roof with an organized whiteout in effect. That sea of white cascaded down to the walkway and met the Sailors at the railing behind their bench following Read’s decisive strike.
With several seniors among their rotational players, the Sailors have only the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I playoffs remaining together. Newport Harbor will host Division 2 finalist Tesoro (21-6) in its regional opener on Tuesday.
“Tonight’s a great win, and we’re going to celebrate and all that,” Francisco said. “We have three games left. We still don’t think the job’s finished. We still are hungry for those next three wins for state.”
Mabry celebrated the win by having his young daughters — Riley, 7, and Payton, 6 — run to him after the match. They are now at an age where they will be able to remember and appreciate these moments.
“Very special,” Mabry said. “They’re a big part of what we do. They’re a part of what we do as a team. These families, these boys are extremely kind to my family in letting our kids be a part of it, and I think it’s a really, really special thing. I hope that it helps them, maybe, seeing me be a dad and all those things, too, but it’s pretty special.”
Junior setter Ryan Gant had 25 assists for CdM (21-9), which will be the No. 2 seed and begin the regional playoffs Tuesday at home against Division 2 champion Upland (28-4). Senior middle blocker Kaden Kavanaugh had four kills and two block assists. Senior middle blocker Cade Alacano had two kills and two blocks.
Corona del Mar was coming off a momentous win at top-seeded Los Angeles Loyola in the semifinals, but Saturday marked the third time that the Sea Kings’ Battle of the Bay rival had bested them this season. Newport Harbor has won nine of the last 11 sets played between the sides.
“We were definitely nervous and it showed,” CdM coach Katey Thompson said. “We have a lot of kids who this is their first year playing on varsity, and they just happened to be starters. That was something we knew coming in was going to be difficult for us. Just playing a team that has been here numerous times before and had leaders that have won this before. They played outstanding and capitalized on all of our mistakes and nerves.”
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