CdM boys’ volleyball cruises into quarterfinals with sweep of Canyon

The Corona del Mar High boys’ volleyball team has a chance to reach its fourth consecutive CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship match this month.

Sea Kings coach Steve Conti has repeatedly said that such runs are a product of the program’s depth. He has praised the ability of his team to play two sides of the net in practice, and the depth has been on display in the early rounds of this year’s playoffs.

In just his second match of the season, senior setter Patrick Paragas totaled 34 assists to help host CdM to a 25-12, 25-16, 25-20 sweep of Canyon in Thursday night’s second-round match.

Third-seeded CdM (27-4) goes on the road to face Huntington Beach (27-5) in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Oilers rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat visiting Westlake 23-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-11 in the second round on Thursday.

For most of the season, the Sea Kings went with Jaden Glenn as their setter. Conti would not comment as to why Paragas missed the regular season in its entirety, but he did say that the team is growing more comfortable with Paragas running the offense as the playoffs progress.

“We’ve been a complete family all year,” Conti said. “Sometimes, lineups change. We definitely looked better tonight than we did on Tuesday night [in the first round against San Clemente]. Even though he has played with a lot of these guys throughout the year, it’s just different.

“I feel like each time we get out on the court, we’re going to get a little more comfortable.”

Paragas complimented his hitters, while also addressing the time it takes to get used to the speed of an actual match.

“I think my hitters are so great,” he said. “I should have been more ready for the first match, but we didn’t have a great practice before that.

“We came in yesterday, had a great practice, and I felt that I could run the offense that I wanted to.”

CdM had no reason to be uneasy on Thursday. The Sea Kings breezed through the first set, taking advantage of several overpasses by the Comanches (25-5) with one-touch kills. Kevin Kobrine, a UCLA-bound opposite, had seven kills in the opening set.

Senior outside hitter and USC commit Brandon Browning led the Sea Kings with 12 kills. Kobrine had 10 kills, as did senior middle blocker Tyler Flood, who is bound for New York University. Senior libero Diego Perez added four service aces.

“In that first set, we put a lot of pressure on [the Comanches] and probably knocked them back on their heels,” Conti said. “It’s a group that has had a real good year and has a lot of pride, but I think we kind of punched them in the mouth a few times.”

The Comanches repeated as Crestview League champions this year. Max Beck led Canyon with five kills, while Joshua Lloyd chipped in with 14 assists.

Defending last year’s section title is certainly on the minds of the Sea Kings, but the coaching staff and the players appear to be on the same page when it comes to focusing on the task in front of them.

Conti referenced the University of Maryland Baltimore County upset of top-seeded Virginia in the opening round of this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament as a reminder of what can happen when a team looks past an opponent.

“It’s about us focusing on our execution, teamwork, chemistry, and just kind of being in the moment each match and not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Conti said. “Upsets happen. They happen all the time. NCAA Tournament this year, you had a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed.

“It’s important that we’re not trying to look [to the] big picture at this point. In the back of our mind, that’s probably a goal for a lot of teams.”

While CdM may feel the pressure to repeat as the Division 1 champion, Mater Dei transfer Brandon Hicks has brought more than just a big body in the middle for the Sea Kings. The senior stood out for his energy, serving as a sparkplug emotionally.

Browning said that Hicks is hungry for his chance to make a deep playoff run.

“I think that’s mostly the reason why he came here,” Browning said, adding that Hicks attended middle school with many of his current teammates. “That’s really good extra motivation for our team that he is just always driven by that. It really pumps us up, too.”

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner