Southern Section Volleyball Playoffs : Newport Harbor Holds On to Beat Marina in a Tight 5-Game Match

As endings go, this one was absurd. To think that after five games, 2 1/2 hours and more twists and turns than the June Taylor dancers, Newport Harbor High School would defeat Marina on a rather dull service winner, well, that’s a stretch.

It was Drew Sheward’s serve that ricocheted off the knuckles of Marina’s Dwayne Cameron and under the net that completed Newport Harbor’s 17-15, 6-15, 15-8, 14-16, 15-11 victory in a Southern Section 4-A semifinal match at Huntington Beach High.

What made it science fiction material was the fact that Newport Harbor’s serving the entire match was atrocious, something Coach Dan Glenn compared to a disease.

“One guy catches it, and pretty soon everyone is pressing,” he said. Newport Harbor had 10 service errors in the final game. Even so, it managed to build an 8-4 lead. But Marina came back, taking advantage of a Doug Partis kill and three Newport Harbor errors to tie the score, 8-8.

Marina went on to lead, 9-8, and 11-9, before Newport Harbor ran off six straight points to win the game and match.

The match started slowly, and after the first 25 minutes the score was tied, 6-6. But numerous Marina errors helped Newport Harbor to a 12-9 lead. Marina came back on the strength of Cameron’s hitting to lead, 14-12. Cameron had nine kills in the first game.

Newport Harbor’s Mike Curci responded with two blocks and a kill that put Newport up, 15-14. It went on to win, 17-15, on Mike Nguyen’s block.

Game 2 was dominated by Marina at the net. It had runs of three and five points because of its blocking. At one point, Steve Guild, a 6-foot 6-inch converted basketball player, blocked three straight shots. Marina won, 15-6.

Newport Harbor came back to rule the net in the third game. Curci and Sheward, the setter, did a good deal of the damage. So did Bill Nguyen, who had two kills and two service aces with his jump serve. Newport Harbor won, 15-8.

Marina built a 5-1 lead in game four. Newport Harbor rallied to within one, 5-4, on three straight kills by Chris Lee.

Marina took a 10-7 lead, only to have Newport Harbor tie it, 10-10.

Marina ran off four straight points, then Newport Harbor rolled off four of its own to tie it, 14-14. But two straight bad hits gave Marina the victory, 16-14, and tied the match at two games apiece.

Newport Harbor will play Loyola in the Southern Section final.

In the other semifinal match:

Loyola 3, Edison 0--Loyola, the second-seeded team, swept Edison, the third-seeded team, 15-8, 15-6, 15-7, at Loyola.