Volleyball Tournament of Champions : Mira Costa’s Experience Key to Title

The Mira Costa girls’ volleyball team defeated No. 2-ranked Corona del Mar, 15-12, 15-4, 12-15, 15-11, Saturday to win the inaugural Tournament of Champions co-hosted by Edison and Corona del Mar high schools.

“This tournament was real exciting and beneficial for us,” said Mira Costa coach DaeLea Aldrich, whose team was the 5-A runner-up last year. “Of all the teams here, we were not ready to do this.”

Aldrich was without injured standout middle blocker Kristal Attwood (sprained ankle). “The result was fine,” Aldrich said. “It’s a good sign for us.”

Mira Costa’s experience was a deciding factor, said Corona del Mar Coach Charlie Brande.

“They are more mature, their whole team’s back and they’re very scrappy,” he said. “They’ve been to the CIF finals and they know what it takes (to win).”

That was evident after Mira Costa took a 2-0 lead in games but faltered in the third, losing 15-4.

It was a “mistakes game,” Aldrich said. “They needed to be reminded (they could lose).”

They recovered to win the final game, 15-11, but it wasn’t pretty.

The game-winner came off a dig by outside hitter Erika Lawson and a tip into open court by hitter Jennifer Smith.

“It was kind of sloppy, but we’ll take it,” Aldrich said.

It was ironic that the top teams faced one another so early in the season. The best high school girls’ volleyball teams usually gather later in the fall at the CIF playoffs.

The Tournament of Champions came about after Edison coach Dave Mohs and Brande were unsuccessful in convincing officials of the Orange Tournament to modify their format. Mohs and Brande envisioned elite fields, tougher competition and best three-of-five game matches.

And the Tournament of Champions was what one would expect when seven of the top-ranked 4-A and 5-A teams get together.

“I think people got their money’s worth,” Brande said. “You couldn’t have asked for a better final.”

Third-ranked Santa Barbara defeated seventh-ranked Newport Harbor in four games, 15-5, 15-12, 11-15, 15-11, for third place. Both are 5A teams.

Santa Barbara and Newport Harbor probably will hold their rankings, but Capistrano Valley, previously ranked sixth, may move up a notch because of its strong tournament showing. Capistrano Valley was defeated by Santa Barbara to open the tournament, but gained victories over unranked 4A Long Beach Wilson and fifth-ranked Woodbridge to win the consolation title.

Newport Harbor, which was ranked seventh in the 5A, may have made a strong case to raise its ranking after a opening-round victory over Woodbridge and an overall fourth-place finish.