Kipp, Humphreys a winning connection for CdM in girls’ volleyball Battle of the Bay

The Battle of the Bay is special to all who take part in it, and for one of its current signature members, it has added meaning.

Kendall Kipp, Corona del Mar High’s star on the right side, has been watching the games against Newport Harbor for as long as she can remember.

Her older sisters Kasey and Conley both played volleyball at CdM, graduating in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Since their departure, the Sea Kings have started an unbeaten streak that now spans eight seasons.

Kendall Kipp had 18 kills, three aces, and three blocks, as the Sea Kings’ girls’ volleyball team won their ninth straight meeting with the Sailors. Corona del Mar won the match, 25-14, 25-17, 25-18 Thursday night at Newport Harbor High.

“I have older sisters, so that legacy is since they were playing here,” Kipp said of extending the streak. “That’s cool for me to get to keep that legacy going.

“I think for the team, it’s a really special rivalry that we get to play in. It’s the whole school in every sport. It’s just really fun to represent CdM in the game.”

Kipp, a junior national team participant, was in full flight thanks to some great setting by Ashley Humphreys. The senior setter recorded 40 assists on the night, nearly half of them finished by the right arm of Kipp.

“We’ve been playing together since her freshman year, my sophomore year,” Humphreys said of setting up Kipp. “She’s played middle, right side, and outside, so I’m able to set her in all the positions. We play club together, so we have the connection down really good by now.”

Humphreys added six kills, as did Christina Davenport. Maya Satchell and Nikki Senske each had five kills alternating at outside hitter.

Corona del Mar (5-4) made running its offense look easy, and Sailors coach Dan Glenn pinpointed the reason why.

“They were in system the whole match,” he said. “They had good passes the whole match. They did look good, and as a coach and as a team, you have to take the other team out of their comfort zone, and we never did that.

“We were trying. I’ll attribute some of that to we need to serve a little tougher.”

The Sailors’ record dropped to 0-7, with the team having won just one set this year. Glenn did not downplay the Battle of the Bay, but he noted that his focus is on getting the team ready for the Sunset League.

Vivian Donovan took her chances, although points were tough to earn with the senior outside hitter playing on the same side as Kipp. Donovan finished with seven kills.

Allison Crandell had a team-high 10 kills for the Sailors. Jenna O’Shea added five kills, and Delaney DeCinces handed out 14 assists.

“Vivian had a good, solid game,” Glenn said. “She has to do a lot for us. She’s on the right, the same as Kipp is, and sometimes if you don’t pass the ball that well, it’s hard to get the ball to her in the spot that we have her.

“(Kipp) presents problems. They’re tough to score points against. I didn’t think we played bad. We just had trouble scoring points.”

Sea Kings coach Steve Astor was also pleased with the work of his libero, Raleigh Garner, who had 18 digs in the sweep.

As for the 4-4 start that could be taken as the team struggling out of the gate, Astor shouldered the blame.

“We were trying a lot of different lineups, so a lot of it is probably on me why we’re struggling,” Astor said, adding that he did not consider the slow start a surprise.

“This weekend, we started figuring out how to play harder all the time, chase balls down that were out of arms’ reach. We’re just digging a few more balls here and there, and our serving is kind of back on track.”

In much the same sentiment as Glenn, Astor stated that it is the games ahead of his team that matter.

“We don’t really care about the record in September,” he said. “In September, we care about beating Newport Harbor, and we care about improving. We’re doing that, so I’m happy with where we’re headed so far.”

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner