Newport Harbor sweeps Los Alamitos, continues perfect boys’ volleyball season

The Newport Harbor High boys’ volleyball team continued its perfect campaign on Friday.

The Sailors, ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps.com, swept visiting Los Alamitos 25-17, 25-19, 27-25 and improved to 22-0 overall.

The Sailors wrapped up the first part of Sunset League play at 5-0. The Griffins (15-9, 2-3 in league) almost became the second team in league to win a set against defending league champion Newport Harbor.

Only four teams can say they have taken a set from the Sailors this year.

“We knew this would be a tough match because we played them in the semifinals of the Orange County [Championships] and they were tough,” said Newport Harbor coach Rocky Ciarelli, whose team swept the Griffins in the best-of-three match on March 17. “They are a good, well-balanced team and they played well, but I was not nervous.”

Newport Harbor junior outside hitter Dayne Chalmers finished with 13 kills, and senior middle blocker Ethan Talley contributed 10 kills. Talley also recorded three service aces and three blocks.

Jack Higgs had nine kills and UCLA-bound senior Cole Pender (6-3) added six. Setter Joseph Karlous totaled 36 assists and four blocks in a near-flawless performance.

“We played a pretty good game except for one little phase there in the third set,” Ciarelli said. “We are a very balanced team. We move our defense around and that keeps other teams guessing. If they guess wrong, it costs them.”

Los Alamitos scored the first point of the match and that was the last lead the Griffins had until the third set. They tied the opening set at 14-14 before the Sailors steadily pulled away with Higgs leading the way.

In the second set, Newport Harbor opened a 5-0 lead and was never threatened.

Game 3 was back-and-forth early and was even at 9-9 when Los Alamitos made a 5-0 run to pull ahead. The Griffins’ lead jumped to 18-12, and then the Sailors rallied back. They tied it at 20-20 on a kill by Higgs.

The teams traded points and one-point leads, with the score knotted five more times before Higgs and Talley produced the final two points to keep the Sailors undefeated.

“He is a really steady player,” Ciarelli said of Higgs, a junior. “He does not make many mistakes. He has a good swing, is a good blocker and plays defense well. He is a good all-around player.”

The Sailors, the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, host No. 5 Huntington Beach in a league match on Tuesday. The Oilers are 4-1 in league, a match behind Newport Harbor.

The Oilers are the last team in league to beat Newport Harbor, doing so on April 22, 2016. Since then, the Sailors have won 18 in row in league.

DAVE DANIEL is a contributor to Times Community News.