Southern Section Volleyball Playoffs : Marina, Newport Harbor Meet Again in Semifinal Matchup

The ups and downs of the Marina High School boys’ volleyball team may just be what got the team to tonight’s Southern Section 4-A semifinals.

Marina, which will play Newport Harbor at Huntington Beach High at 7:30, got there by defeating No. 1-seeded and previously undefeated Santa Monica in the quarterfinals, 15-11, 14-16, 14-16, 15-12, 15-3.

It was Santa Monica’s first five-game match of the season; the team played only two four-game matches.

“They really dominated people this season,” said Andy Read, Marina coach. “I really think in that last game, they just ran out of gas. That’s where our experience paid off.”

That hasn’t always been good experience. Marina had played in three previous five-game matches, losing two of them. One of those losses was to Newport Harbor, which lost the first two games and came back to win.

Newport Harbor turned the same trick against Woodbridge in the quarterfinals. After losing the first two games, Newport Harbor clawed back to win, 10-15, 15-17, 15-7, 15-11, 15-11.

Marina has achieved great things this season, such as winning the Orange County championships. But it also has been less than impressive in other matches, the aforementioned loss to Newport Harbor being a good example.

Newport Harbor defeated Marina in the playoff semifinals last season en route to the 4-A championship. Newport Harbor had 6-foot 5-inch Hugh Foster, the 4-A player of the year, and the equally powerful Jon Alstrom on its side last year.

But Foster and Alstrom have gone on to college, leaving Marina with a distinct physical advantage. At one point in the Santa Monica match, Marina had John Ward (6-5), Dwayne Cameron (6-6) and Steve Guild (6-7) on the front row. They were effective--Guild had 7 blocks, Cameron had 24 kills.

But Newport Harbor was at a distinct physical disadvantage against Woodbridge, going against the likes of Adam Keefe (6-10). In that match, Newport Harbor’s defense and consistency won out.

In the other semifinal, Edison, the No. 3 seed, plays second-seeded Loyola at Santa Monica High. Loyola, in its first season in the 4-A, had won the last three 3-A championships under Coach Roger Yano.

In the 3-A semifinals, La Quinta plays Glendale at Hoover High.