Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball sweeps CdM in Battle of the Bay match

Newport Harbor High junior setter Joe Karlous approached boys’ volleyball coach Rocky Ciarelli after Saturday night’s Battle of the Bay match with two bottles of water.

Ciarelli thanked Karlous for the refreshment in the hot Newport Harbor gym. Karlous grinned.

“No problem, old man,” he said. “Take two. You need them.”

What Ciarelli needed before Saturday was a Battle of the Bay win in his four years in charge. That changed in a big way.

Newport Harbor swept Corona del Mar, 25-18, 25-20, 26-24, for its first Battle of the Bay match win in five years.

Senior outside hitter Cole Pender had 15 kills and 10 digs while junior Jack Higgs had 14 kills and three service aces for the Sailors, the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1 which stayed undefeated at 20-0.

“We’re consistent,” Ciarelli said. “They definitely cause some problems with their block and different things, but we kind of hung in there. We served well, and that helps a lot, getting them a little bit out of system.”

Karlous dished out 44 assists for the winners, who got five kills from Ethan Talley and eight digs from Ryan Schoeder.

“This is my fourth year, and this is the best [match] that I’ve wanted to play,” Pender said. “This was the most fun [match] anybody could ever play. The atmosphere in this place was unreal, our student section was unreal, and winning this is like a dream come true. We beat them two weeks ago [in the Orange County Championships title match], but this is the one that really counts.”

CdM (16-4) was in each set but Newport Harbor pulled away in the first two. The third stayed close late, with CdM senior Kevin Kobrine (22 kills) playing at a high level. The Sea Kings tied the score at 22-22 on Kobrine’s kill, then at 24-24 on Brandon Hicks’ kill off the block.

But the Sea Kings, ranked No. 5 in Division 1, had a serving error, then a hitting error into the net, to close out the match.

“I think [the Sailors] played a really good match,” CdM coach Steve Conti said. “I think they won the serving and passing battle, and I don’t think we played bad. They’re a little bit more polished in their team play right now ... They’re the best team in CIF and the top team in the nation, and there’s no doubt that they are the better team right now.”

Kobrine raised his level in set two. His 10 kills amounted for half of the Sea Kings’ 20 points in the set, but Newport Harbor pulled away down the stretch. Three straight kills by Pender gave Newport Harbor a 23-17 advantage, and the Sailors won the set on an ace by Pender that clipped the tape.

Passing was a concern for Corona del Mar in set one as the Sea Kings gave up three Newport Harbor kills due to the over-pass. Higgs and Pender each had four kills in set one, which was tied as late as 7-7 before the hosts pulled away.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo