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Newport Harbor players and coaches with the CIF championship plaque. (Photos: Tom Connolly, OC Sports Zone).
Newport Harbor’s boys volleyball team looked like a team on a mission during Saturday’s CIF Division 1 volleyball championship game at Cerritos College.
Before a capacity crowd, the Sailors overpowered Corona del Mar in straight sets 25-19, 25-22, 25-18 to repeat as the Division 1 champions.
“All phases of our game were outstanding tonight,” said Sailors Coach Andrew Mabry. “We turned difficult digs into productive shots and to win a championship is what we aspired to do from the first day of school back in August. These guys were committed and this is a special team.”
The aggressive net play of Luca Curci, Riggs Guy, Jake Read and Lukas Johnson never let up as Newport Harbor kept the pressure on CdM throughout the match. The Sailors defensive play was spectacular and the Newport Harbor experience stood out.
Curci recorded 17 kills, Guy had nine kills and Read added eight kills for the Sailors.
“It’s amazing to win the championship again,” said Curci, a senior outside hitter. “I thought our defense and our digs were the difference.”
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In the first set, Newport Harbor (34-2) jumped out to a 7-1 lead, but the Sea Kings hung tough and stayed within striking distance.
However, the Sailors, led by Curci, Guy and Johnson ran off a streak of seven points and built a 20-12 lead. George Bruening rallied the Sea Kings (21-9). But Guy’s kill closed out for the set for Newport Harbor.
“I was a little nervous at first when the game started, but the adrenaline kicked in and it turned into excitement,” said Guy, a junior outside hitter who had five blocks, 10 digs and two aces. “It’s so crazy to win back-to-back championships. I’m ready to come back next year and get started.”
The second set was tight as the score was tied eight times. Read blasted an ace to tie the score at 17-17. Guy’s kill gave Newport Harbor a 24-20 lead, but the Sea Kings cut the lead to 24-22 on a kill by Cade Alacano. However, CdM was called for playing out of rotation and was penalized a point that gave Newport Harbor the final point and a two set lead.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win,” said Read. “We stuck to our game plan and we stayed together.”
CdM continued to battle hard in the third set and held a 14-12 lead on Bruening’s brilliant play at the net. But the Sailors ran off six straight points and eight of nine points, capped off by a thundering slam kill by Curci that upped the Sailors lead to 20-15. Moments later, Read slammed the final kill for the championship point and Newport Harbor successfully defended their title.
“We had so much more energy to be playing CdM, since their our rivals and we played for the Battle of the Bay,” said Johnson. “Our fans came out in big numbers and it motivated us.”
Sea Kings Coach Katey Thompson said Newport Harbor deserved to win.
“We did not play well and they capitalized on our mistakes,” said Thompson. “They played outstanding defense. We’re a young team, but we showed that we deserved to be here. We’ll learn from this experience and get back into the gym on Monday and get ready for our state regional game on Tuesday. Newport Harbor has been there before, and I bet 90 percent of their kids have been as well.”
Mabry said it was great experience for the both schools and the community.
“To have two teams from the same city in the championship is a tribute to our schools, our programs and our community,” Mabry said. “Both teams played their best to get here and survive the difficult format we have to get through. This is a big stage and there were no secrets between these two teams tonight.”
Saturday’s match was the third time the two teams have played this season with the Sailor’s winning each match. Newport Harbor’s victory was the Sailors 29th shutout they’ve recorded this season.
Sterling Foley led the Sea Kings with 12 kills and Bruening added nine kills.
CIF FINALS
Division 1
Newport Harbor 3, CdM 0
Division 2
Upland 3, Tesoro 1
Division 3
El Segundo 3, St. Margaret’s 1
Division 4
Hart 3, El Dorado 0
Division 5
Wiseburn DaVinci 3, Paracelete 1
Division 6
Pacifica Christian Santa Monica 3, Glendale Advent. 0
—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
