Boys’ Volleyball: CdM denied third straight regional crown

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Each boys’ volleyball match Corona del Mar High and Mira Costa have had this year has been near a beach.

Seven weeks ago, Waikiki Beach was a couple of miles away from the gym they competed in during the Clash of the Titans at Punahou High in Honolulu, Hawaii. Last week, in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, they played at Mira Costa, a couple of miles away from the Manhattan Beach Pier.

The third meeting between the two schools took place on Saturday in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final at Edison High, which is close to Huntington State Beach.

Playing eight miles from CdM wasn’t much of a home-court advantage for the Sea Kings. Fifth-seeded Mira Costa swept No. 3 CdM, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20, preventing the Sea Kings from winning their third straight SoCal Regional title.

The contest ended in 80 minutes, almost as long as it took the Mustangs to travel to face CdM (29-7) for the second time in 11 days. After last week’s matchup, the Mustangs wanted another shot at the Sea Kings, who went into Mira Costa and swept in convincing fashion.

Mira Costa (28-6) returned the favor on a neutral site, claiming its third SoCal Regional crown. USC-bound opposite Jackson Wedbush led the way with 18 kills, two service aces, one block assist and two digs.

“They may have had the hunger factor,” CdM Coach Steve Conti said of Mustangs, who were looking to avenge their semifinal setback to the Sea Kings. “That may have had a little bit of a factor in it, but I think ultimately it just came down to how they played over there defensively, and their seniors all played like seniors. We have three seniors on the floor. They have six. When you’re a senior and you know it’s your last match, you’re a little bit [hungrier]. I think they were a little bit more poised in some pivotal situations.”

Those crucial moments came down the stretch in Game 2. The Sea Kings had set point three times, at 24-22, at 24-23, and then at 25-24, and each time they couldn’t close it out.

Roy McFarland, who finished with 11 kills, three block assists, one ace and seven digs, kept Mira Costa in Game 2 late.

The senior evened things, 24-24, with a kill, and his next kill gave the Mustangs a 25-24 lead, their first advantage in the set since they led, 7-6. After a CdM shot from the back row went long, Mira Costa was one point away from taking a 2-0 lead in the match. McFarland made sure of it, teaming up with Ethan Morgan for a block.

Mira Costa was on its way to becoming the first team to sweep CdM in a best-of-five match since Los Angeles Loyola beat the Sea Kings in three sets on April 18, 2015. Loyola, the CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion, is the same team the Mustangs had to get through in the SoCal Regional semifinals on Thursday to earn another shot at CdM.

The Mustangs played with that same attitude on the road on Saturday. They made the 33-mile trip not caring that the Sea Kings would have the backing of the crowd.

Mira Costa got off to a good start, taking a 6-3 lead. When Sam Kobrine’s ace caught the Mustangs at 13-13, Mira Costa pulled away again. Wedbush turned it on, recording three kills in a row, and a combined block by Morgan and McFarland put the Mustangs ahead, 17-13.

Four points was the biggest lead, and the Mustangs held it three times in the opening set. After Wedbush’s eighth kill in Game 1 gave Mira Costa a 22-18 edge, it seemed as though the Mustangs were in control.

Behind Mitch Haly, CdM rallied. Haly produced four kills during a 5-1 run, helping the Sea Kings tie Game 1 at 23-23. The next two points belonged to Mira Costa, as setter Rob Mullahey (41 assists) found McFarland and Wedbush, who each had a kill to seal the first set.

“They spun their lineup [in Game 1] and had a different blocking matchup that we wanted,” Conti said of Mira Costa’s success in the first set that featured nine Wedbush kills.

“We spun our lineup in Game 2 and we wanted to get Sam Kobrine on [Wedbush]. He was able to block him two, three, four times. I think that’s why that set was a lot closer. That’s why that was such a pivotal set. I felt like if we would’ve won that set, they probably would’ve spun their lineup how they typically have been starting every [time], and we were prepared to spin our lineup, if we’d won that set.”

Kobrine wanted a third straight SoCal Regional crown. The UCLA-bound senior helped CdM win Division II the past two years, but in the program’s first final appearance in the top division, Mira Costa got in the way.

Kobrine (18 kills, two blocks, four block assists, one ace and three digs), along with two other seniors, setter Matt Ctvrtlik (36 assists, five block assists, one kill and 13 digs) and Will Hunter (seven kills, one block, three block assists and one ace), keyed CdM’s impressive run.

“It’s been a fun ride,” said the Harvard-bound Ctvrtlik, who this year helped the Sea Kings to their second straight runner-up finish in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and their 14th straight Pacific Coast League title. “Definitely sad right now. Looking back on some of the things that we’ve done this season, I would say this season is a success. I can remember my senior season as something good.”

david.carrillo@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByDCP